Joint Education & Digital Economy Committees: Demystifying ChatGPT and AI

Demystifying ChatGPT and AI

“ChatGPT” is bringing the discussion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the forefront, as AI is a paradigm-shifting technology that is currently the "talk of the town". The benefits and potential risks associated with the ability of AI to transform the way we interact with machines and, perhaps more importantly, with each other, are widely debated. The AMCHAM Education Committee and Digital Economy Committee recently hosted a joint event for AMCHAM members, gathering a panel of four AI experts to help demystify these increasingly popular technologies and discuss the implications and applications of AI, especially in business and education. To introduce the discussion, Lyn Kok, DE Committee Co-Chair, asked members to consider the ethical implications of creating machines that can simulate conversation, generate creative content, and even make decisions on our behalf. She asked the panel to address how we can balance the benefits of these technologies with the potential risks that they pose.

Speakers: Dr. Pinnaree Tea-makorn of Sasin School of Management; Ronnapong Kamnuanthip of Mind AI SEA; Anne Cheng of Superchange Lab; Chaolvalit Rattanakornkrisri of Microsoft Thailand.

Moderator: Dean Outerson of Sasin School of Management

https://www.amchamthailand.com/2023/05/11/joint-education-digital-economy-committees-demystifying-chatgpt-and-ai/

What is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

As the keynote speaker, Dr. Pinnaree Tea-makorn, a Faculty Member at Sasin School of Management, highlighted that “AI is what people are trying to build to assimilate human capability and behavior. Despite being established since 1942, AI has experienced explosive growth in 2022, driven by the availability of abundant data and increased computing power. AI demonstrates its ability to learn, analyze, and predict human interests, as evidenced by its applications in popular platforms such as Netflix, Meta (Facebook), and Instagram. Additionally, it also fosters growth in various businesses and creates disruptive technology, as exemplified by ChatGPT.”

Discovering the Core Concepts of AI

Dr Pinnaree shared three core concepts of AI namely machine learning, deep learning, and data science. “Machine learning”, a subset of AI, enables machines to learn patterns from data without explicit programming. That means we do not need to instruct machines for every procedure. Instead, by providing input and output, the machine will learn how to derive the desired output based on the given input. However, feature engineering is required to provide specific details and features in order to make the machine-learning algorithm function effectively. A subset of machine learning known as “deep learning” closely aligns with neural networks, which aim to simulate the human brain system composed of numerous neurons in the programming sense. Deep learning allows raw data to be processed without the need for extensive feature engineering, resulting in even more accurate outcomes compared to machine learning. Lastly, “data science” focuses on extracting knowledge and insights from data using traditional statistical techniques, machine learning, or deep learning to come up with data science insight.

Demystifying ChatGPT

AI, especially ChatGPT, has permeated every industry, such as transportation, retail, healthcare, and finance. ChatGPT is an AI language model created by OpenAI, which has been trained on a massive amount of internet text data. It is designed to provide customized answers as a chatbot and can perform tasks within minutes that previously required human intelligence and input. However, it is necessary to verify the accuracy of the information generated by ChatGPT due to the potential for misunderstandings and the potential for bias arising from the data on which it was trained.

Despite AI and ChatGPT having improved efficiency in the business and education sectors, some individuals still have concerns about how these advancements may interfere with human employment or children’s learning processes. There were views on both sides, and more exploration and discussions will need to take place to ensure that these technologies are used ethically and responsibly.

Are we Going to Lose Our Jobs?

While AI has permeated the business and education sectors, there are significant concerns about the potential for worker displacement, the transformative shifts in work paradigms, and the skills required to survive in this new ‘AI world’. Anne Cheng, CEO of Supercharge Lab, emphasized that “the integration of AI into the workforce will bring about positive changes, making jobs not only more effective and efficient but fostering creativity and assertiveness.” She also said unequivocally that AI will be coming for the "you that exists today" but AI will help you evolve into the "you that exists" tomorrow” as it would complement and make jobs more interesting, helping eliminate mundane tasks. Chaolvalit Rattanakornkrisri, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Thailand, said that “AI will co-pilot with humans. Human expertise remains significant in guiding AI to generate outcomes based on human knowledge. Therefore, organizations should focus on adopting technology or AI to improve customer services, enhance business operations and employee productivity, rather than replacing human intelligence entirely with AI”. Ronnapong Kamnuanthip, Regional Managing Director of Mind AI SEA, pointed out that, “a new occupation called ‘prompt engineers’ may be created, as it will be necessary to have specialists with the knowledge and skills to effectively command AI to achieve the best results.”

What are the Essential Skills we Need to Develop?

“Developing critical thinking skills will be challenging for humans, and necessary to cultivate in order to survive in this AI world” said Dr. Pinnaree. “That is because AI is making content that is seemingly more human-like but can seemingly also be falsified. So, it depends on the perceiver having critical thinking skills in order to differentiate whether it is real or not”.

Should ChatGPT be Banned in Educational Institutions?

Dr. Pinnaree, suggested that “There should be a specific period during which students are prohibited from using AI. This approach ensures that they develop fundamental skills without relying on any technological tools at a certain age, and subsequently that they then leverage AI to enhance their skills, but they need to be able to verify”. Ms. Cheng, mentioned that “ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for assisting students in finding specific answers they need, especially in cases where teachers may not have the exact answers to those questions”. Regarding ethical concerns, Khun Ronnapong, pointed out “the difficulty in verifying the accuracy of information. Therefore, it is significant to validate copyrights to ensure the legality and integrity of the information”. Khun Chaolvalit added “As ChatGPT was trained until 2021, meaning there is much updated information that ChatGPT doesn’t know. It was trained not for replacing the internet but it‘s a language model, which should not be relied on for decision making that required the recent updated information.”

In conclusion, the ongoing discussions about AI and ChatGPT highlight the importance of finding a balance between maximizing their benefits and addressing potential risks. As AI continues to advance, society must actively manage its impact, promote the development of crucial skills, and establish responsible policies to leverage its potential while moderating risk.

This article was developed on behalf of the AMCHAM Education and Digital Economy Committees, whose members include Laurie Colyer-Charusorn of Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School, Jonathan Lembright of Institute of International Education (IIE), Robert Tyler of International School of Bangkok, James Dalziel of NIST International School, Jason Shipman of Tata Consultancy Services, Lyn Kok of Mula-X, Peter Fischbach of ISM Technology Recruitment, and Waleeporn Sayasit of TCC Technology.