If the success of a new technology can be measured by the speed of uptake, there is no denying the epochal impact of ChatGPT. Within five days of its launch in late November, the artificial intelligence chatbot, which can provide clear, detailed answers to human questions, was being used by a million people. Now it’s used by 100 million, with a growing waiting list of those looking for a chance to try it. Even the mighty Google has allegedly issued a ‘Code Red’, realising that a machine which can answer any question without having to send you off to some unreliable websites might pose a threat to its search-engine business model.
Bill Gates has said that ChatGPT is equivalent to the first PC. Others have claimed it’s akin to the dawning of the internet. Perhaps the grandest comparison of all comes from Larry Summers, the former US treasury secretary, who believes that the arrival of ChatGPT and consumer artificial intelligence is comparable to the harnessing of electricity in the 19th century.
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