One year of ChatGPT: This is how a text bot came into everyday life – News – WDR – News

Since the introduction of the ChatGPT bot, Hendrik Richars’ work has become significantly easier. Richarz runs a medium-sized mechanical engineering company in Remagen and ChatGPT has had a permanent place on his computer desktop for months. If the managing director has to write longer texts, artificial intelligence is often used.

Recently for a farewell speech to a long time colleague. Richards wanted the letter to be humorous and mention some characteristics of the employee. “And actually a very interesting script came out, which I also read during the break“But he also uses it for other tasks,” says Richards Chat bot Back – for example when drafting instructions on occupational safety. Of course, we then have to look again to see if the result is correct. But anyway, ChatGPT provides a good structure for its scripts.

ChatGPT started a year ago

Many others are likely to feel the same way as Richards. About a year ago – on November 30, 2022 – the American company OpenAI the Chat bot published. Since then, ChatGPT and similar applications have taken off. The idea behind it: A wide range of questions can be answered using artificial intelligence (AI). AI does this based on machine learning, where programs sift through large amounts of data looking for similarities and drawing conclusions. It is also now possible to create images of events that never happened.

There is also extensive discussion about the risks and dangers of new technology – for example the culture of debate when it is no longer clear whether images are real or not. But ChatGPT has already established itself in many people’s daily lives.

Many people use chatbots at school and work

This one shows World Development Report– An opinion poll among randomly selected people on the street. “When school gets a little busy, you can use it to write text easily“A tax consultant said he used Jobs to write letters,” said one student, for example.Then the thing does everything automatically“.

Elke Thomé also uses this technology. She runs a hairdressing business with her husband. ChatGPT uses it, for example, to create posts for a company’s social media account or to draft texts for job advertisements. “This is a huge relief, especially in our craft business, where you often have to do custom things because something is differentTommy says.

TÜV poll: More than a third have tried ChatGPT

A year after the launch, TÜV conducted a representative survey on usage, which was published on Tuesday. The result: 37 percent have already tried ChatGPT – especially young people. “ChatGPT is a technology that is here to stay“, says TÜV Managing Director Joachim Bühler in an interview with WDR. The technology is used more at home than at work. No other technology has reached one million users so quickly, Bühler emphasizes. With the iPhone, it took 74 days. ChatGPT has been cracked branding just five days after it was published.

But it is clear that people are not taking it so naively. 78% say they currently see risks from technology that cannot be assessed. The majority do not automatically trust the results. “People have a surprisingly clear vision of this technology“Therefore, a whopping 83 percent support the legal requirements,” Buehler says.

Possibility of filling the shortage of skilled workers

A recent study by management consulting firm McKinsey & Company suggests that text bots, image generators and other software could significantly alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. “This technology has the potential to partially automate work steps, freeing people from routine work, and thus creating a new freedom for creative work and innovation.“, says Holger Hörtgen, partner in McKinsey’s Düsseldorf office.

But not all sectors will benefit equally. The benefits are especially promising for jobs that require a high level of education. “These activities are complex and thus benefit greatly from optimization and automation“.For example, work in the fields of law, further education or natural sciences/mathematics/computer science could benefit. However, physical work will not be greatly affected.

Be careful when using it at work

“Although ChatGPT, like other chatbots, is still far from perfect, it is truly amazing what AI can do today.”says WDR digital expert Jörg Scheib. Words are sometimes disappointing, but…Often impressive“.

At work, for example, technology can be used to evaluate sales figures and ultimately produce a final graph. But Shipp cautions against taking the matter too naively. “You should consider whether it is better to tell your boss. Because you don’t know what happens to the data.” Data protection is not entirely clear.

By the way, mechanical engineer Richarz rarely copies his ChatGPT scripts exactly the way the AI ​​generated them. He often lends a helping hand to himself again. This was also the case when he recently asked an AI for text to describe his company on a job portal: “ChatGPT took this opportunity to empty the honey pot and present ourselves as a know-it-all company, thinking: OK, maybe I’ll be a little more humble and remove some of the edge.“

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