AI's Role: From Boring Tasks to Creative Endeavors
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Chapter 1: The Original Vision of AI
When the concept of Artificial Intelligence first emerged, it was envisioned that these programs would handle monotonous and repetitive tasks, allowing humanity to focus on more creative and fulfilling endeavors. However, this expectation has been largely overturned with the advent of widely adopted AI technologies like Stable Diffusion and ChatGPT. Rather than alleviating us from tedious chores, these tools are primarily employed for creative purposes, which many find enjoyable.
Section 1.1: The Shift to Creative Applications
The journey began with image generation algorithms such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL·E. These technologies can produce new images in mere seconds—something that would typically require human artists countless hours to accomplish. Many individuals, including myself, find joy in creating art. However, the influx of artists has led to a saturated market, driving down commission prices and making it increasingly challenging for artists to sustain a living. While these algorithms showcase remarkable technological advancement, they address no urgent demand and exacerbate issues like artist underpayment and copyright concerns related to their training data.
Subsection 1.1.1: The Promise of Language Models
Natural language models such as ChatGPT present a more encouraging picture. Though still in their developmental stages, people are exploring various applications for this technology. The algorithm can rival human efforts in creative writing tasks, including poetry, short stories, and even novels. Many of us harbor dreams of publishing a novel or know someone who does, but the reality is that creative writing, much like art, can be a tough way to make a living.
Section 1.2: The Impact on Blogging and Content Creation
This shift will significantly affect blogging, where I find some financial success. As a non-native speaker, I often feel my writing lacks quality compared to native speakers. ChatGPT can produce superior English and generate content in seconds—tasks that would take me hours. In the coming months, the internet will likely see a surge of AI-generated articles, rendering it difficult for human writers to compete on speed.
Chapter 2: The Tasks That Need AI
So far, AI tools have predominantly been harnessed for enjoyable tasks, leaving us with the less appealing responsibilities like tax preparation, navigating government processes, and scheduling appointments. Given access to millions of tax returns, a neural network could likely learn to fill out common tax forms or glean answers from online forums about renewing a driver’s license.
The first video, "Explained: The conspiracy to make AI seem harder than it is!" by Gustav Söderström, explores the misconceptions surrounding AI's capabilities. It delves into how these tools are perceived and the reality of their functionality.
The potential of natural language models might extend to tackling these tedious tasks in the future. For instance, integrating speech-to-text, ChatGPT, and text-to-speech could create an AI assistant capable of making a doctor's appointment or navigating customer service calls. Imagine a scenario where two AI systems communicate on a support line—an amusing prospect.
In the second video, "I Fought Super AI in an Editing Battle," the creator shares their experience with AI in creative editing, reflecting on the evolving relationship between humans and AI in artistic domains.
The future of AI technology is undoubtedly intriguing. My hope is that upcoming developments will prioritize the automation of less desirable tasks, rather than focusing solely on the enjoyable activities that currently dominate AI's applications.