The buzz about artificial intelligence (AI) continues unabated, highlighting the transformational changes to mankind in economics, driving innovation, increasing efficiency, blah, blah, blah – and, yes, the free access to a virtual assistant 24/7 who is oh-so-ready to help with even the weirdest of queries. No fuss, no tantrums, nothing. At the click of a mouse, we can get fairly interesting, well-framed responses to most questions.
While some of us are resisting it, Gen Z and the Millennials have adopted and adapted to AI swiftly. They use it at their workplace, writing reports, on social media, content creation, for education and even entertainment.
I recently dipped my toes into the AI waters checking out the virtual assistant with random queries about routine stuff. I was hooked! But then a few days later was baffled while drafting a letter to my banker when, a window popped up with a response without a prompt (read Gemini ai). It seemed Big Brother wanted to help. Not sure how that happened but thankfully, it hasn’t recurred since. An accidental click of a pop up, maybe? It derailed my thought process completely and I had to rethink, reword and rewrite from start.
We can wax eloquent about the magic of AI but some ethical concerns/risks linger unaddressed. Recently, a friend of mine posted a full-length poem on Facebook, generated using AI (ChatGPT) with a subject ‘Ode to Filter Coffee’. Then out of curiosity, he sought a rejoinder from ‘Deepseek’.
Here’s a snippet of both – ‘Ode to Filter Coffee’ followed by Deepseek’s rejoinder ‘Ode to the coffee lover’ (who’s clearly mistaken):
*Ode to Filter Coffee*
Oh, filter coffee, rich and wise,
Your essence wakes the drowsy eyes.
Through metal sieve, your spirit flows,
A fragrant tide, the heart well knows.
In every sip, your warmth does bloom,
Dispelling shadows, lifting gloom.
A morning ritual, pure and deep,
Your brewed embrace, we love to keep.
REJOINDER
Oh, coffee lover, bold and spry,
You claim your brew’s the king, oh my!
But let me spill the facts, my friend,
Your coffee reign is near its end.
You boast of beans, so dark, so deep,
That jolt you from your morning sleep.
But tea, dear friend, is pure delight,
A sip from a cup, to stay calm and bright.
I was enthralled but wondered who may have originally written some of that creative content, if at all. Credits and copyrights have been tossed to the winds as suddenly, we have all become prolific writers and poets.
And that’s the ongoing debate amongst professional writers who invest considerable time, conduct research and put experience into their work. AI-generated content on the same subject may look interesting but lack emotional depth and authenticity, as the subtle nuances and emotions are lost.
Moreover, the reliance on AI to churn out content quickly could eventually lead to stifling of original thoughts robbing us of our innate creativity. Agreed, there are tools like ‘AI content detectors’ that analyse written text to identify whether it was generated by an AI language model or written by a human, based on factors like language patterns, contextual understanding and ingenuity but the confidence score is apparently a mere 60 per cent which allows room for plagiarism.
Regardless, AI is touted as the next big Wealth Wave that is accelerating Technochasm and widening the wealth gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
So, folks, the sooner we embrace it, the better it is to remain relevant. Here’s to ChatGPT, Deepseek, Manus, Drok, Gemini and all our new AI virtual models.
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