When ChatGPT came out last November, Olivia Lipkin, a copywriter (文案写手) in San Francisco, didn’t think too much about it. Over the next few months, however, Lipkin found herself with less and less work to do. In April, she was fired with no explanation. She realized why she lost her job when she heard managers talking about how using ChatGPT was cheaper than hiring (雇用) a human writer.

Lipkin was not alone. Eric Fein, a 34-year-old man in the U. S. state of Illinois, ran a writing business for ten years. He became jobless this March. All his clients (顾客) told him they no longer needed his services because they were turning to ChatGPT. Fein asked his clients to reconsider. He warned them that ChatGPT couldn’t write with his level of creativity. His clients said they understood, but it was far cheaper to use the chatbot (聊天机器人) than to pay him. Fein’s business was gone almost overnight.

Economists predict (经济学家预测) that AI systems like ChatGPT could replace hundreds of millions of jobs in the future. But for those who write social media posts and ads, the effect is already here. Experts say that even the best AI systems can’t match the writing skills of a human. It doesn’t have a personal voice or style. Besides, it often gives the wrong answers. But for many companies, the cost savings are worth the drop in quality. Indeed, companies that have replaced human workers with chatbots have run into trouble. CNET, a technology news site company, once used AI systems to write articles. The results, however, were full of mistakes. They required a lot of corrections. And the U. S. National Eating Disorders Association Company once replaced its helpline (求助热线) staff with chatbots. But it had to stop using the technology after it gave people harmful advice.

After being replaced by ChatGPT, Fein and Lipkin took a same path. Fein decided to do a new job that AI can’t do. He is now an air-conditioning technician (空调技术人员) after training. And Lipkin wanted to work as a dog walker. “I’m taking a complete break from the office world.” She says. But she doesn’t work now.

Singapore, as a small island country, has depended mostly on water supplies from neighboring Malaysia for a long time. Low Pei Chin, a water engineer from the government, told reporters from Agency France-Press, “Singapore is short of natural resources. That is why we are always looking for ways to explore water resources. One major plan is to “collect every drop” and “reuse endlessly”.

The government has created a highly developed system that turns wastewater into drinkable water. Reused wastewater can meet 40 percent of Singapore’s water need. The government expects to meet 55 percent of the need by the year 2060.

Most of the water is used for micro-chip producing factories. But some of it is added to the country’s drinking water supplies. The system also helps reduce ocean pollution, as only a small amount of the treated water is sent into the sea. According to the United Nations, 80 percent of the world’s wastewater runs back into the oceans without being treated or reused.

The Changi Water Reclamation Plant on Singapore’s eastern coast is the main part of the country’s recycling system. The system has a network of tunnels and high-technology treatment centers. Parts of the water treatment centers are underground and wastewater enters the center through a 48-kilometer tunnel. In one building, a network of air flow systems has been put in place to keep the water smelling as fresh as possible. When waste arrives at the plant, it goes through cleaning process before powerful pumps send it to areas above ground for more treatment. There, the treated water receives the last process, through which bacteria and viruses are cleared out. Every day, this large center can treat up to 900,000,000 liters of wastewater.

Now the country also continues to enlarge its recycling system. It will add another underground tunnel and a major water treatment center to serve the western part of the island. The government expects work on the center to be completed by 2025. By the time the project is finished, Singapore will have spent about $7.4 billion on its water treatment systems.

China has completed its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (北斗卫星导航系统), or BDS. It becomes a new system in the world with a global navigation network (全球导航网络). The other three systems are GPS of the US, GLONASS of Russia and Galileo of the European Union.

As the name suggests, the global navigation satellite system provides navigation and location services 24 hours a day. As we know, building a good satellite system costs a lot. Besides, the other systems have been set up. Why does China have a new one if there is nothing special?

The other three systems have 24 satellites. China’s BDS has six more satellites. What’s special about these six satellites is that they have a relatively fixed area of activity. This can improve BDS’ accuracy (精准度) in China and the Asia-Pacific region to 5 meters, compared with a 10-meter accuracy in other areas.

BDS has another advantage-the short message service. It allows users to have a two-way communication. In areas that are not covered by communication signals (信号), users can send short messages. Even in uninhabited areas, such as deserts, forests, mountainous and polar areas, BDS can also make the short message service available. With this service, users who are in danger can tell the rescue team (救援队) their location and condition.

As the most populous country, it’s important for China to have its own global navigation satellite system to meet the needs of the country’s development. In fact, BDS is also good business. According to the official report, China’s satellite industry has kept a 20% yearly growth since 2012. And BDS contributes about 80% of it. In addition, BDS has also created countless high-paying jobs. And with continuous improvement, it will have much more to offer in the future.