Generative Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots 

Are you an early, middle, or late adopter of new technologies or social innovations?  

While I might be a relatively early or middle adopter for a few things, my wife usually is ahead of me in purchasing trend-setting communication and technology devices. I’m often satisfied enough with existing technology and must be assured that the innovation will better serve my needs or interests. 

Several news articles, and their remarkable claims, about generative artificial intelligence (AI) convinced me a few months ago that I needed to start learning about this emerging phenomenon. Forbes Magazine reported that the most popular generative AI tool, ChatGPT, had an estimated 100 million active users in late January 2023, just two months after its public introduction. This made ChatGPT the fastest growing consumer internet application in history according to UBS, the Swiss financial giant. Also, in a February survey of over 2000 K-12 teachers and students in the USA completed by Impact Research on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation, 51 percent of the responding teachers have used this chatbot.  

Another article cited 91 per cent of the 1,187 business leaders surveyed in an April Resume Builder study said they are seeking to recruit employees with ChatGPT experience for customer service, sales and finance, human resources, and marketing jobs. Industries that should be more impacted by generative AI seem to be healthcare, transportation, and entertainment.   

Several AI technology “experts” have projected that AI technologies will have a bigger economic impact than the COVID crisis or even the Industrial Revolution. Increased business productivity and white-collar job unemployment are expected to occur. Journalist, C.Y. Gopinath, was quoted as stating that “Everyone is playing with the new AI toy, fascinated, terrified, obsessed. It seems there is no area of our lives that is safe from AI, from our jobs to the contents of our refrigerators.” Some corporate AI leaders and government officials in the USA and Western Europe have called for global regulation of AI producers due to their alarm that these systems will soon be too powerful for mere humans to be able to control.  

If ChatGPT and several of its competitors, such as Google Bard and Bing Chat, were already creating so much hype, it seemed time that I learned at least the basics. So, I subscribed to these three tools in early May, and I began asking these chatbots a variety of questions. 

I’ve been writing monthly articles for this journal for over seven years now. My fellow PWJ contributors and I could be identified as “content providers.” Newspapers, magazines, and media entertainment/services depend upon their content providers to attract readers, viewers, listeners, and particularly advertisers. Generative AI innovations will apparently affect media content providers as much or more than any other occupational group. 

For those unfamiliar yet with the type of responses obtained from AI chatbots, I’ll share a response that I received when I posed a question in early May to ChatGPT. Since PWJ serves the Southern timber industry, I asked what are the more significant and helpful AI applications for this industry. The areas that were listed as more beneficial were:  

“Forest Management and Planning: AI can assist in forest inventory and monitoring, providing accurate and up-to-date information about tree species, density, and health. This data can be used for optimized forest management, including planning logging operations, identifying areas for reforestation, and predicting timber yields. 

Predictive Analytics: AI algorithms can analyze historical data related to weather patterns, soil conditions, pest outbreaks, and other factors to generate predictive models. These models can help anticipate forest health issues, insect infestations, and disease outbreaks, allowing for proactive management and intervention. 

Precision Logging and Harvesting: AI technology, combined with sensors and robotics, can enhance precision logging and harvesting operations. AI-powered systems can analyze tree characteristics, growth patterns, and location data to optimize the selection of trees for harvest and determine the most efficient harvesting techniques, minimizing waste and improving resource utilization. 

Supply Chain Optimization: AI can optimize the timber supply chain by analyzing transportation logistics, inventory management, and demand forecasting. AI algorithms can help streamline the movement of timber from the forest to processing facilities, ensuring efficient delivery and reducing transportation costs. 

Remote Sensing and Imagery Analysis: AI can analyze satellite imagery, LiDAR data, and other remote sensing information to assess forest health, detect changes in vegetation, and identify potential risks such as fire hazards or illegal logging activities. This helps in early detection, prevention, and mitigation of forest-related issues. 

Natural Resource Planning and Compliance: AI can assist in compliance monitoring by analyzing satellite data and other sources to detect illegal logging activities, encroachments, or unauthorized land use. This helps authorities and organizations ensure sustainable practices and enforce regulations effectively.” 

This sample response likely provides little insight for experienced industry professionals, but such responses could be very helpful for those trying to obtain an introductory or summary account for many topics. Follow-up questions allow users to get deeper into specifics concerning issues initially identified.  

Although ChatGPT and other competing “large language models” perform well for many different tasks, they can occasionally produce what has been referred to as “hallucinations” or errors. Users are cautioned to avoid overreliance, and not double checking, on certain generative AI responses.  

It’s very difficult to summarize generative AI developments, because innovations (and positive and negative reactions to these) are happening so rapidly. Perhaps the best way to stay up with revolutionary generative AI developments is to request one of the chatbots with up-to-date internet coverage to summarize these developments for you. The three chatbots mentioned earlier make it very easy to sign up and use their basic services now for free.