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Can ChatGPT replace people in the future?

We should remember that any means, no matter how creative, is only a tool to support people
This picture taken on Jan. 23 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence software application developed by OpenAI

This picture taken on Jan. 23 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence software application developed by OpenAI. (Photo: AFP)

Published: February 08, 2023 12:07 PM GMT
Updated: March 07, 2023 06:03 AM GMT

My close friend, who teaches at a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City, feels terribly worried about how adversely education and especially students will be affected by ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer, an artificial intelligence-based chatbot which was provided by US startup, OpenAI, last November.

He told me that “My students naturally converse with ChatGPT, asking tough questions about all subjects, and ChatGPT solves all exercises I give them! Oh my God! I will be unemployed soon!”

He said that teachers will be left jobless as ChatGPT not only chats normally like other chatbots, but also searches and processes information, responds precisely and instantly, deals with all matters, writes poetry, composes music, and even fixes programming errors. The artificial intelligence-based chatbot is expected to support students in writing essays in the future.

Many people feel well satisfied with the useful application in the digital age but many others including my friend are deeply concerned about the future of young people who will grow up and build up society with their own efforts and true talents.

I do not just view ChatGPT from the perspective of advantages and disadvantages but from a broader and thoughtful manner. I do not defend my friend's worries nor disparage the ChatGPT invention.

First, ChatGPT is really intelligent and useful and can replace people and human brains in thinking. However, it is just "Artificial Intelligence" created by human hands and minds. It is certain that people never make something smarter than themselves so that one day it will master everything, including its creators. Surely ChatGPT's creators work out reliable ways to control it in case of anomalies. And even when it is above their pay grade, other people are ready to fix its problems.

We should also thank God for ChatGPT, a wonderful gift, as no one born during the 1990s like me dared think that machines would completely replace humans. There have been robots doing housework, serving, and performing commercial services, but they also fail. However, ChatGPT gives a new look. The more perfect it is the more perfect God is countless times. So, by knowing how to use ChatGPT like a gift from God, we do nothing wrong.

People will have to address ethical questions about many areas, especially education when they make bad use of ChatGPT. God gives people enough intelligence to control what they produce, so there will be rules and regulations to tackle difficult issues.

I believe that ChatGPT and any other development smarter than it can never replace humans since machines have no heart and feelings of joy, love, anger, hatred… They could not replace a man who professes his romantic love for his girlfriend. They also never express how the girl is embarrassed by her boyfriend's professions of love. ChatGPT does not know how to show compassion for people in need, nor does it know how to apologize when it offends people. The reason is because these stories come from the heart, not just the mind.

I assure you that human intelligence is a priceless and bottomless gift. There are erroneous ideas that killed millions of people in many forms by Adolf Hitler, inspirational thoughts that spread charity throughout the world by Saint Mother Teresa, and profound philosophical and theological reflections that have been built up over centuries. ChatGPT can only repeat what philosophers and theologians have said.

We should remember that any means, no matter how creative, is only a tool to support people.

Finally, you and I should trust that everything in this universe is within God's plan and is well run by him. He continues to work tirelessly to make the world more beautiful.

We should not despair of and criticize arising issues but trust in God's miraculous providence. For this point, people are also called by God to collaborate in his work.

As Christians, you and I are called to present God through our daily life.

Little Stream is the pen name of a Jesuit in Vietnam. This article was summarized and translated by a UCA News reporter from a Vietnamese article published by dongten.net here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

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