With Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology headlining online publications, forums, and videos, people are wildly interested in the AI phenomenon. In the United States alone, searches for the term “AI” grew 825% in the last 18 months.

Digital Adoption, a digital marketing blog, analyzed the monthly searches for the keyword “AI” in Google Trends – learning that searches related to “AI” reached a new all-time record high. 42 million searches in May is the most recorded since 2004.

In January 2022, there were only 7.9 million searches. Just one year later, it climbed to 17 million. By May, the numbers had already more than doubled. Digital Adoption claims the increase in AI interest correlates with the launch of AI chatbots ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Google Bard.

The research also reveals an increase in “VR,” “mixed reality,” and “augmented” searches (300%, 1,130%, and 545% worldwide, respectively), citing the announcement of Apple’s Vision Pro during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

“Apple’s announcement of Vision Pro has captured audiences at the right time, when new AI technologies, like ChatGPT, have become accessible to almost anyone. The latest announcement from Apple could start to tip the balance and encourage more users to adopt this kind of advanced tech into their homes and working lives,” a Digital-Adoption.com representative said.

AI Domination

The use of AI has been prevalent for years, long before OpenAI’s introduced its groundbreaking chatbot that can engage in human-like conversations. AI writing online tools, for instance, have helped millions craft articles, press releases, product descriptions, and other written content in a matter of minutes.

Virtual voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant are also powered by AI.

Today, the technology is no longer limited to writing assistants; it has expanded to different facets of work production. Dall-E 2, another project by OpenAI, uses text prompts to produce images. Other popular tools include TensorFlow for machine learning, Play.HT for text to voice, or Soundful for music production.

Ironically, there are AI detection tools available too, which are marketed towards companies who prefer their content written by humans. Educators also use this AI-powered tech to monitor students’ work for possible plagiarism and cheating.

ChatGPT will soon be a built-in car feature, as Mercedes-Benz recently announced that they are adding the tech in their cars for AI voice commands.

AI Controversies Are Also on The Rise

From funny ChatGPT conversations and AI-generated art struggling to render human body parts correctly, the groundbreaking technology is riddled with concerning controversies.

Misinformation

The leading worry in utilization of AI is the inaccuracy of the provided information. According to Forbes, 75% of consumers expressed that concern.

In March, OpenAI launched GPT-4, which the company claims is its ‘most advanced system.’ However, there is plenty of evidence that the chatbot that took the internet by storm late last year is not a reliable source. And, shockingly, the new version is even worse than its predecessor in providing factual information.

A separate study by NewsGuard provided ChatGPT with 100 false narratives from their database, and the results were shocking. Unlike ChatGPT-3, which scored 80/100, the latest version is 100/100.

That means the chatbot provided the wrong information without refuting or checking itself – a far cry from OpenAI’s statement that GPT-4 is ‘40% more likely to produce factual responses than GPT-3.5.’

In January, tech news publication CNET came under scrutiny after getting caught red-handed using over 70 AI-generated articles plagued with errors.

Job Displacement

Since AI can automate many tasks, from writing to planning, more companies have started integrating AI technology into their workflows. Unfortunately, AI has already begun taking over human jobs.

The May Challenger Report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found more than 80,000 layoffs in May; 3,900, or roughly 5%, are reportedly due to AI. Even more alarming, investment bank Goldman Sachs reports AI could affect 300 million full-time jobs globally.

In May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on a strike, asking the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for better pay, fair treatment, and curtailing the use of generative AI, like ChatGPT. This has halted numerous film and television productions, including It Ends With Us, The House of the Dragon, and Stranger Things.

Recently, a global day of protest allowed other countries, such as New Zealand, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, to show their support for the Writer’s Guild.

Privacy and Security Risks

Past conversations are still accessible whenever you log back into ChatGPT. However, that’s not the only thing that ChatGPT stores.

Like most other websites, ChatGPT’s privacy policy includes keeping your account information, IP address, and location. OpenAI also keeps a transcript of your conversations. This means that if you’ve entered sensitive and confidential information or documents, all of that is stored on their servers.

Apple, Samsung, Verizon, and other large companies banned or limited the use of ChatGPT. Even Google halted the launch of Bard, their ChatGPT competitor, in Europe, after the Irish Data Protection Commission disclosed that the tech giant did not provide sufficient information to ensure protection of privacy.

Full Speed Ahead

Despite growing concerns over potential risks and impacts on employment, more companies are shifting to AI and developing AI tools.

Even more obvious, AI has caught the public’s attention, and that isn’t changing anytime soon.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

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