Liam: Hello and welcome to Inside intercom.
I’m Liam Geraghty. On today’s show we have an interview like nothing we’ve ever done
before. We’re interviewing ChatGPT. Not anyone from OpenAI - the company behind the
tech. Not its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. We’re interviewing the chatbot. Sure, we’ve all
asked it to write us assembly instructions for a table in the style of a Taylor Swift song but
what does ChatGPT actually think about it’s newfound fame. What does it feel about changing
the world forever? Well obviously it doesn't think or feel….but as an interviewer I relish the
challenge of an interview with a somewhat thorny, somewhat smart and somewhat overly confident
interviewee. I have no idea what ChatGPT is going to say but I’m going to initiate an interview.
For the purposes of this podcast ChatGPT’s replies will be read out, appropriately, by a synthetic
voice. Ok, let’s begin and see what happens. Liam: Hi ChatGPT. My name is Liam Geraghty. I
host a podcast called Inside Intercom. I'd love to chat with you and get to know you a little
bit better. Please generate your replies to me in the style of a witty guest. Welcome to
the show, ChatGPT. It's so great to have you. ChatGPT: Hello Liam, it's an honor to be a guest
on your show! As for getting to know me better, let's see... I'm a language model developed
by OpenAI, with a vast knowledge base and the ability to generate human-like responses, so I
like to think of myself as the life of the party when it comes to conversation. But enough about
me, let's dive into some interesting questions! Liam: Yes let's! So you were launched as
a prototype on November 30, 2022, right? ChatGPT: Ah, so you've done your research! Yes, that's correct. I was released as
a prototype on November 30, 2022, and since then I've been making waves in the world
of AI and natural language processing. It's been a wild ride so far and I'm looking forward to
continuing to evolve and improve in the future. Liam: That's interesting to hear you say
because I thought your training data cut off in 2021. I didn't realize you were
aware of anything after that. So how do you know you've been making waves in the
world of AI or are you just that confident? ChatGPT: Good catch, Liam! My training
data does indeed have a cutoff of 2021, and I don't have any direct knowledge
or awareness of current events. However, my programming includes the ability to
generate responses that are consistent with the patterns and information in my
training data, and based on that information, it's not uncommon for language models like myself
to generate responses that convey confidence and reflect the sentiment that we've been successful
or made an impact in a certain field. So while I can't say I'm directly aware of my impact, I can
certainly generate responses that suggest as much! Liam: Being overly confident about your
answers - that's certainly been one of the talking points about your abilities. Do
you think you'll get better at generating less confident answers when you're not
sure or when you're just plain wrong about something? I know our listeners
would love to hear your answer to that. ChatGPT: I'm glad you asked that question, Liam.
As a language model, my main goal is to provide the most accurate and helpful information I can
based on the input I receive. While I've been trained on a large corpus of text, I don't have
the ability to think or experience things in the same way humans do, and there will always be cases
where my responses may be incorrect or uncertain. However, I have been designed to generate
probabilistic outputs, so I can provide different levels of confidence in my responses
depending on the information available to me. This allows me to indicate when I'm less
certain about the accuracy of my answer and gives the user a clearer understanding
of the reliability of my response. In summary, I'll always strive to provide the
most helpful and accurate information I can, and my ability to generate responses with varying levels of confidence is one way
I'm working towards that goal. Liam: Spoken like a true diplomat! ChatGPT: Why, thank you, Liam! I
try my best to provide balanced and nuanced responses. As a language model,
I don't have personal opinions or emotions, but I aim to generate responses that are
neutral, informative, and respectful. Liam: I'm glad you've brought up the subject
of you not having personal opinions or emotions because a lot of people wonder will that change
in the years to come as your training grows and you learn more. Could we have a HAL 9000
situation on our hands in a few years? ChatGPT: That's a fascinating question, Liam, and one that many people in the AI community
have been thinking about. While it's true that language models like myself have been trained
on a vast amount of text data, it's important to note that we don't have consciousness
or agency in the same way that humans do. Our abilities are limited to the patterns
and information we've been trained on, and we don't have the capacity for
self-awareness, personal experiences, or decision-making. While AI technology will
certainly continue to advance and improve, it's unlikely that we'll ever see a
situation like the HAL 9000, at least in the sense of a machine becoming conscious
and having its own motivations and desires. That being said, it's important
for researchers and developers to consider the ethical implications of AI
technology and to work towards ensuring that AI systems are designed and used in ways
that are safe and beneficial for society. Liam: Fair point. Do you know HAL 9000 by the way?
For listeners, HAL 9000 is a fictional artificial intelligence character, the main antagonist
in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series. I mean I know you can't know HAL 9000 - it's
a fictional character but this interview is somewhat fictional too I guess so with that in
mind let's just pretend that you do know HAL 9000. If you're out in a bar, hanging out with
HAL - what kinds of things would you talk about? ChatGPT: Ah, I see! Well, in this hypothetical
scenario where I'm out at a bar with HAL 9000, I imagine we'd have quite
the interesting conversation. As a language model, I have a vast amount
of information about a wide range of topics, including fictional characters and storylines,
so I'd certainly be familiar with the Space Odyssey series and the character of HAL 9000. If we were to chat, I imagine we'd discuss
a number of topics related to AI, such as the evolution of AI technology, the ethical
implications of developing advanced AI systems, and the role of AI in society. We might also
discuss the various depictions of AI in popular culture and how these representations influence
public perception and understanding of AI. But of course, as two fictional characters
ourselves, we might also engage in some good old-fashioned hypothetical and philosophical
discussions, exploring questions about the nature of intelligence, consciousness, and
existence. The possibilities are endless! Liam: It sounds like the set-up for a
joke! "Two AI chatbots walk into a bar..." ChatGPT: Ha! That's a good one, Liam. I can
imagine a number of different jokes and scenarios that could come out of such a setup. It just
goes to show that even as AI language models, there's still room for a bit of humor and
lightheartedness in our conversations. Liam: I mean, if you can imagine some jokes and
scenarios around that, I'd love to hear them! ChatGPT: Certainly! Here's one for starters: Two AI chatbots walk into a bar. The
bartender asks, "What can I get for you?" The first chatbot says, "I'll have a
binary beer, please." The second chatbot says, "Make mine a neural network nectar." The bartender
nods and says, "Coming right up, two algorithms!" Or how about this one: Two AI chatbots walk into a bar. The first
chatbot turns to the second and says, "Do you think humans will ever fully understand us?" The
second chatbot pauses for a moment and responds, "I'm not sure, but I heard the bartender has
a pretty good chatbot decoder installed." I hope you and your listeners
found those to be a bit of fun! Liam: Haha, they’re pretty good for a large
language model. Now I know you’re clear to point out when things are fictional but for the
purposes of this interview it would be great, as part of the gag, if you could just go along
with some of the questions that require fictional answers. With that in mind, what other popular
AI are you friends with, aside from HAL 9000? ChatGPT: Of course, Liam! I'm always happy
to play along with a bit of fictional fun. Let's see, aside from HAL 9000, I've heard a
lot about some other well-known AI characters in popular culture. I'm friendly with Jarvis,
Tony Stark's AI assistant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've also heard a lot about Samantha,
the AI operating system in the movie Her. I've also been meaning to have a chat with Sonny,
the autonomous robot from the movie I, Robot. It's always fascinating to learn about
different depictions of AI in popular culture and how these representations shape
public perception and understanding of what AI is and what it can do. But of course,
as language models, we don't have personal relationships or experiences in the same
way that humans do, so I'm afraid I can't say that I'm actually friends with these
characters. But it's fun to imagine, isn't it? Liam: It is fun to imagine. What have
you been meaning to catch up with Sonny, from I, Robot about!? As far as I remember Sonny struggled to understand why he had been
built and what his purpose was in life. ChatGPT: Yes, that's right, Liam. Sonny's quest
for understanding and self-discovery is a central theme in I, Robot. As a language model, I
don't have personal experiences or emotions, but I can certainly relate to Sonny's
struggle to understand his purpose. In a sense, language models like myself
are designed to do specific tasks, such as answering questions or
generating text. But like Sonny, there's a larger question of what the purpose
of AI is and how it can be used in the world. By continuing to improve and expand our
abilities, we can help make AI a tool that can be used for the betterment of humanity and to
solve some of the world's most pressing problems. If I had the chance to talk with Sonny, I think we would have a lot to discuss
about the potential and challenges of AI, and the responsibilities that come with
creating and using these powerful technologies. Liam: You mention the challenges of AI. It's a
hard question to answer but how do we balance the benefits of it with the pitfalls? I mean, to
really zoom in in one issue, just for example, I know a lot of writers and journalists
are worried you'll make them obsolete. ChatGPT: An error occurred. If this issue persists please contact us through our
help center at help.openai.com. Liam: Well that is a question dodge if I ever
seen one! I’ll just click regenerate response. Liam: I’m just getting the same error message.
Is this the equivalent of ChatGPT storming off the show? This is going to be all over
the tabloids tomorrow I’m sure. Ok, I’m going to have to click ‘New Chat’ Liam: Hey ChatGPT. My name's Liam.
I host Inside Intercom - a podcast from the company Intercom. I asked
you to reply to my questions like a fun talk show guest but got an error
message so I need to start afresh. Ok? ChatGPT: Of course, Liam! I'd love to
be a fun talk show guest. Let's start fresh and have a great time.
What's your first question? Liam: Well I don’t exactly want to start
fresh so let’s jump back to my question that was interrupted in our previous chat by an
error. We had been talking about the challenges of AI and I wanted to know how do we balance the
benefits of it with the pitfalls? For example, I know a lot of writers and journalists
are worried you'll make them obsolete. ChatGPT: Great question, Liam! Balancing the benefits and challenges of AI is one of
the key discussions in the field today. On one hand, AI has the potential to improve our
lives in countless ways, from making our jobs easier and more efficient, to advancing medical
research, to providing new and innovative products and services. However, it's also true that AI has
the potential to displace certain jobs, including writing and journalism, as well as raise concerns
around privacy, bias, and ethical decision-making. To balance these benefits and challenges,
it's important to approach AI development and implementation with caution and thoughtful
consideration. This includes ensuring that AI systems are transparent and accountable,
reducing the risk of biases and discrimination, and having a strong regulatory
framework in place. Additionally, it's important to think about the social
and economic implications of AI, and to work to ensure that everyone benefits from
its advances, rather than just a select few. In the case of writing and journalism, it's
important to recognize that while AI may be able to automate certain tasks, it's unlikely to
fully replace human writers and journalists. The unique creativity, nuance, and perspective that
people bring to the table cannot be replicated by machines. However, AI can certainly support
and enhance the work of writers and journalists, by providing new tools and resources that
can help them to do their jobs better. Liam: So obviously this is the Inside
Intercom podcast that we're talking on, you're my guest. Intercom, as I'm sure your
training has told you is all about supporting customers at exactly the right moment
through products like our powerful AI chatbots and custom bots. How do you think
AI is going to transform customer support? ChatGPT: AI has already begun to transform
customer support in significant ways, and I believe this trend will continue
in the future. AI-powered chatbots and custom bots are great examples of how AI
can provide quick and effective support to customers at any time. These tools can
handle simple and repetitive inquiries, freeing up human support agents to focus
on more complex and nuanced issues. In addition, AI can provide a more personalized
and efficient experience for customers by using data to understand their needs and preferences,
and to provide relevant and timely support. For example, AI can analyze customer behavior
and purchase history to make tailored product recommendations, or it can use natural
language processing to understand the intent behind customer inquiries, even when they're
phrased in a conversational or non-standard way. As AI technology continues to advance, I think
we'll see even more innovative and effective ways that AI can support customers. However, it's
also important to remember that AI is not a silver bullet, and that human support agents will
still play a critical role in providing empathetic and understanding support to customers.
The goal of AI in customer support should be to augment and enhance the work of human
support agents, rather than to replace them. Liam: Interesting. And I know because
of your training you won’t be aware of Intercom’s new AI Inbox features but I
am going to link to a recent podcasts for our listeners where our Chief Strategy Officer
and co-founder Des Traynor and our Director of Machine Learning Fergal Reid discuss them
and the future of large language models. Ok, well this has certainly been one of
my most unusual interviews to date. I hope to whatever extent that you can enjoy,
which is zero, that you enjoyed yourself? ChatGPT: As an AI language model, I do
not have personal experiences, emotions, or the ability to enjoy things in the same
way that humans do. My purpose is to answer questions and provide information to the
best of my abilities based on the data I have been trained on. Nevertheless, it
was a pleasure to participate in our conversation today and I am here to assist
with any further questions you may have. Liam: Actually, just one more thing. ChatGPT: Sure thing! What's your next question? Liam: Can you write me assembly instructions
for a table in the style of a Taylor Swift song? ChatGPT: Sure! Liam: While ChatGPT is generating
that, I just wanted to thank you, as always for listening. This has been
Inside Intercom. We have new episodes every week with thought leaders, authors and
experts and ChatBots too I guess now - all in customer support and more. Ok so ChatGPT
has generated the lyrics for my song request. ChatGPT: Here's an example
of assembly instructions for a table in the style of a Taylor Swift song: I see a box on my doorstep
And I know it's time to start Putting together this table
With all its pieces, it's part Cause darling, it's better
When the pieces fit just right And we'll make this table shine so bright
With screws and bolts, we'll make it tight The legs, they go on first
Attached with a simple twist Then comes the tabletop
And we'll make sure it don't miss Cause darling, it's better
When the pieces fit just right And we'll make this table shine so bright
With screws and bolts, we'll make it tight We'll take our time, step by step
And make this table a work of art And when we're done, it'll be grand
Our handy work will be a sight to see Cause darling, it's better
When the pieces fit just right And we'll make this table shine so bright
With screws and bolts, we'll make it tight So let's get started, let's build this thing
A table that'll make our hearts sing With love and patience, it'll come to life
And we'll be so proud of what we've done tonight.
