The upside to A.I. assistants is boundless--but the downsides are also clear

The potential is huge, which is why Microsoft is extending its partnership with OpenAI through a "multiyear, multibillion dollar investment"--reportedly a $10 billion outlay that would value the company at near $30 billion. One can imagine a future where everyone has a "generative A.I." assistant that offers quick solutions to business challenges, writes instant computer code based on verbal commands, and conjures up art and video on demand. But the downsides are clear as well. ChatGPT is often wrong, and provides no attribution or sourcing for its information. It has made it instantly easier to saturate the Internet with invasive ads and dubious information, and has opened up a whole new superhighway for cheating in schools.