Not Everything Needs a Chatbot!

The last time people were this worked up about chatbots, it was because Microsoft released one that became infamous for turning racist. Back in 2016, Tay seemed to validate skeptics of A.I.-fueled internet buddies--but now, the runaway success of ChatGPT has given A.I. optimists a future to cheer for. Released by OpenAI in November--and souped up just last week with the limited release of its GPT-4 learning model--ChatGPT has left hundreds of millions of users in awe (and fear) of its advanced, automated word-processing capability, which is set to become only more powerful. It really is impressive--and it's also spurring the dumbest tech-industry "arms race" since the pandemic-era crypto boom. There are huge stakes when it comes to A.I. development when it comes to U.S.-China saber-rattling, the business ambitions of Big Tech, and the future of work.