We may be surprised by our reactions to generative AI

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One of the mysteries about generative AI is why the text it prompts is so long. Why does ChatGPT generate 10 paragraphs when it does one? Another mystery is how we will all behave during reproduction. It is likely that we will be much shorter.

Artificial intelligence is widening the reality gap between Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. Most of us haven’t set up chatbots to write emails or do research yet. But tech companies think it’s a foregone conclusion we’ll soon make. If they are right, the way we communicate is about to change.

The turning point could be 2024. Plans are underway to incorporate generative artificial intelligence into our daily lives, especially at work. Google is launching its Gemini AI model, while Microsoft is selling its own AI assistant. We can surround ourselves with notifications offering to summarize meetings, write emails and fill out spreadsheets.

No one knows how people will react. Governments are worried about disaster. On Monday, President Joe Biden issued regulations requiring artificial intelligence companies to notify the government if they develop models that pose a security risk. Britain’s eye-catching AI summit at Bletchley Park this week is likely to explore everything that can go wrong, from enabling fraud to facilitating attacks. But these kinds of consequences will not happen immediately. Losing a job wouldn’t be terrible either. The first thing that happens is a change in our own behavior.

Much of the discussion about artificial intelligence is about the ways in which it can help users. Little time is spent thinking about its effect on recipients. But computer generated words have less weight. At a recent debate on AI in Hong Kong, one speaker revealed that what he was reading was created by an AI chatbot. The words sounded convincing, but his revelation also destroyed their meaning. My attention immediately wavered.

My guess is that you’d have a similar reaction if you knew that what you’re reading or hearing wasn’t created by someone else. It can also change the way we interact online. Once you realize that no one is at the end of the message, there is no need to type full sentences. What matters are the keywords. Politeness and respect also become unnecessary. Even when sending a message to a real person, knowing that they’re using generative AI to parse that message and extract information means there’s no need for niceties. Communication can be returned to the brutal exchange of facts.

If you’re an optimist, you might believe that it makes us all more productive. It can also make real-world interactions more valuable. The raucous ceremony cannot be missed. A lot depends on whether we have secure ways of knowing what is AI-generated and what is not. Without a clear watermark, I think trust is lost.

Not everyone agrees with me. People I know who already use generative AI (mostly friends who work in tech in San Francisco) say that drafting the commands necessary to create the right content means there’s still human-to-human involvement. has it.

Some tech companies believe that we won’t interact with AI-generated text any differently than we already do with each other. Meta is planning to launch more AI chatbots with its Instagram and Facebook accounts. Mark Zuckerberg expects AI experiences to become a meaningful part of all Metas programs, with creators across social media building their own versions of AI that can interact with fans, create content, and interact with each other over time. . He says it will be almost a new type of media and art form.

Descriptive art form is questionable. A low-effort earning plan for busy creators may be more accurate. But what kind of interaction does meta have with fans? Comments on the videos produced for the early version of this idea, which include videos of dancer Charli DAmelio on an AI account called Coco, are all kinds of I don’t get it and it’s scary.

All new technologies go through a life cycle. Artificial intelligence is at the stage of research and development costs. If it reaches the next stage, mass deployment can be expected. If this happens, the scale of AI’s impact will be comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution.

Our own reactions can surprise us. There was a small trend this summer where people were using the behavior of computer-generated non-player characters, or NPCs, in their videos. The quick gestures and empty expressions of creators like Pinkydoll and Nicole Hoff make them look like digital avatars.

Many of us take for granted the help that AI can provide. Some of us will reject it. Other attitudes may be more strange. Instead of trying to discern what is real and what isn’t, we might instead blur the lines.

elaine.moore@ft.com