The new and publicly-available ChatGPT is a type of AI that has been “trained” by looking at over 8 million web pages. When asked a question, ChatGPT uses this training to produce detailed answers that often seem like they were written by a human. You can ask it anything and it will give you answers to not only follow-up questions but also professional questions (although it does sometimes make mistakes). You can also ask it to write text, such as short stories or essays. The technology is so promising (有前途的) that some people believe it will overtake (超过) Google in the near future.
For many years it has been expected that AI will become an important part of our lives, and for just as long there have been concerns (忧虑) of the trouble that AI could cause. In the 20th century, scientists, philosophers and writers sometimes worried that AI would become too powerful. In the short story I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, a giant supercomputer has killed every human on earth except five people it keeps to torture (折磨). And in the 1984 film The Terminator, a powerful AI called Skynet uses time travel to send a robot into the past to try and kill the mother of a brave and strong fighter. On the other hand, some people were optimistic of advanced technologies’ potential (潜力) to build a better world. In the 1960s TV show Lost in Space, a family of humans were helped by a friendly robot named Robby.
Nowadays, there is less concern of an all-powerful AI trying to destroy the world, and we are not expecting friendly robots just yet. That doesn’t mean there is not a lot of excitement and concern being felt towards new technologies like AI, though. ChatGPT is a great example of a modern technology that is causing mixed feelings.
It’s too soon to say what kind of influence ChatGPT will have on our lives. Let’s hope that, if ChatGPT does become bigger and more popular, its effects are mostly positive. So, what do you think? Will ChatGPT be good, bad, or somewhere in between for humankind?
【小题1】Why can ChatGPT produce detailed answers like they are from a human?| A．Scientists teach ChatGPT to talk like a human. | B．ChatGPT has looked at over 8 million web pages. |
| C．ChatGPT depends on Google’s basic information. | D．Many people answer the question on the Internet. |
| A．Lost in Space | B．The Terminator |
| C．Skynet | D．I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream |
| A．People are always crazy about new technologies. | B．People become more worried about Al at present. |
| C．ChatGPT is a perfect Al technology with no doubt. | D．ChatGPT brings people a mixture of joy and worries. |
