There are lots of articles about bad use cases of ChatGPT that Google already provided for decades.

Want to get bad medical advice for the weird pain in your belly? Google can tell you it’s cancer, no problem.

Do you want to know how to make drugs without a lab? Google even gives you links to stores where you can buy the materials for it.

Want some racism/misogyny/other evil content? Google is your ever helpful friend and garbage dump.

What’s the difference apart from ChatGPT’s inability to link to existing sources?

Edit: Just to clear things up. This post is specifically not about the new use cases that come from AI. Sure, Google cannot make semi-non-functional mini programs automatically, and Google will not write a fake paper in whole for me. I am specifically talking about the “This will change the world” articles, that mirror stuff that Google can do exactly like ChatGPT can.

  • shanghaibebop@beehaw.org
    2·
    2 years ago

    Each step drastically lowers the barriers to get to that end, and also distorts the monetary incentives for people operating that technology to make them more likely to deceive you.

    It used to be you have to go to a bookstore/library to read some crack theory on the ailment of your choice. In order to get your crack theories published, you had gatekeepers, publishers, bookstore owners, and then librarians, who would choose what books to stock. Pretty hard to abuse your powers to deceive people.

    Then it became easier because you can do it on a desktop with google. Then it became easier because you can just ask google on your phone. Now if you can get a solid SEO page, you’re not gatekept by anyone.

    Now it’s easier since you have an authoritative AI that tells you exactly how to do it, and in theory, you can freely develop these AIs to give answers that match your “version” of reality in order to get the most engagement and money out of you. Imagine you go to a website and some “doctor” chats you up that’s actually just a conversational AI, and it just persuades you via pseudo-scientific language that is targeted towards your personal preferences just to get you to buy their snake oil.