I didn’t end up watching the Super Bowl. I used the afternoon to unpack boxes and other tasks leftover from moving. But I did really like this ChatGPT ad. It has a little whimsy reminiscent of some Apple ads, while still uniquely its own thing.
Dave Winer You didn’t miss anything. It was a fantasy of an America that used to be. A last gasp.
Manton Reece @manton.org Thanks! Close, we’re in Windsor Park, just north of Mueller. We had been in Mueller for the last year and enjoyed it. I have a new appreciation for east Austin after searching months all over the place around here.
Tom Loughlin A gentle pushback - portraying ChatGPT with “whimsy” is a tactic designed to make ChatGPT appear harmless. This will have the effect of lulling people into a false sense of trust about the AI. Artificial intelligence is already harming people by being used by bad actors to spread disinformation and deepfakes. It is not a “whimsical” product. The ad was subtle subliminal brainwashing (as are most ads, tbh).
Manton Reece @apoorplayer It’s a fair point. I’m fascinated by the ad because I love anything animated, but also it feels like a turning point with OpenAI becoming a mainstream product company. Disinformation is a huge issue, though.
Scott Walters I’m not as anti-AI as Tom, and don’t really see the fact that it has been used for bad things as a reason to condemn. What technology, starting with fire, has not had good and bad uses? I’m old enough to remember when nuclear energy was seen as pure danger; now, it’s part of the way to escape global warming.
Manton Reece @drwalt I’m still optimistic about AI as a tool. We do have a misinformation problem and AI slop everywhere on the web could make it worse. With the ad, the challenge I hear is how to educate users that some models are relatively safe, but that doesn’t mean all AI should be trusted.
Tom Loughlin When Elon Musk is willing to offer $97.4 billion dollars to Sam Altman for a “tool’ called OpenAI, it’s not the tool I’m concerned about. It’s the humans who will eventually control the tool.
Manton Reece @apoorplayer Yeah. I’m disappointed with the OpenAI leadership on some things but Elon really needs to stop buying companies.
Scott Walters Totally agree. I’d also say that your Average Joe is using AI as a search engine, which is not what it’s good at. But give it a data set and specific problems (e.g., MRI results or DNA analysis) and it’s amazing. I also agree with you and Tom: Elon shouldn’t be allowed to own anything. Although Sam Altman is no angel, either.