Artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage in 2023, marking a significant milestone in its integration into mainstream consciousness. Despite this stride, the technology is yet to fulfill the futuristic visions of human-like machines depicted in science fiction.
A standout in the AI landscape for the year was ChatGPT, a chatbot that provided a glimpse into recent advancements in computer science. However, not everyone fully grasped its workings or its practical applications.
Renowned AI scientist Fei-Fei Li described 2023 as an “inflection moment,” emphasizing the profound technological changes and the simultaneous public awakening. This period also underscored the complexity and unpredictability of AI technology.
The initial AI-related concern of the year emerged shortly after New Year’s Day when schools globally, from Seattle to Paris, began blocking ChatGPT. Students had started using the chatbot, released in late 2022, to compose essays and tackle take-home tests.
Large language models like those behind ChatGPT operate by predicting the next word in a sentence based on patterns learned from vast amounts of human-written content. Despite occasional factual errors, the outputs seemed so natural that they raised curiosity about future AI developments and their potential for deception.
The anxieties heightened as generative AI tools, producing not only text but also images, music, and synthetic voices, threatened various professions. Hollywood writers, actors, visual artists, and bestselling authors initiated strikes and legal challenges, creating a conflict between technology advancement and job security.
Deepfake technology, powered by AI, infiltrated US election campaigns, making it challenging to discern between real and manipulated content. The year’s AI crises extended to OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, facing internal turmoil, and a government meeting in Belgium resulting in the world’s first major AI legal safeguards under the new EU AI Act.
While 2023 showcased remarkable achievements in commercial AI products, experts warn of the technology’s peak hype. Generative AI, responsible for the latest trend, is currently riding the “peak of inflated expectations,” according to Gartner, a firm tracking technology trends.
Criticism also befell tech giants like Google, accused of editing a video demonstration of its AI model, Gemini, to exaggerate its capabilities. Analysts caution that claims by leading AI developers may not align with how the world eventually adopts and utilizes the technology.
Although not the first wave of AI commercialization, the current surge is deemed the “biggest wave ever” by industry insiders. The dangers and possibilities it presents are considerable, with AI-generated deepfakes expected to flood major national elections in 2024.
As the technology’s language, visual perception, and planning capabilities rapidly advance, the potential for a powerful digital assistant emerges, capable of managing various aspects of an individual’s digital life. However, concerns over privacy and data security remain significant challenges on the path to AI integration.