Ketchum: The following was written by a real, live human
It was not the product of a new computer program that takes artificial intelligence to the next level, something called ChatGPT. The problem is that, if it had been, it probably would have come out better.
I recently saw a news report about this next step in what those in the know call AI, not to be confused with A1, the well-known steak sauce. I say this only because I once heard Matt Lauer call it A1 when he still hosted the Today show. Contrary to what you might think, this miscue is not what cost Lauer his job.
But I digress. This latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence makes my Amazon Echo look like a Model T Ford standing next to a tricked-out electric Mustang. I still haven’t figured out how Alexa knows where I live so she can give me the weather forecast or how she knows where my Amazon order is.
Apparently ChatGPT isn’t the only program of its kind. Others lurk on the horizon, threatening to create havoc among those who not only use subjects and verbs to make a living but also students. One teacher interviewed called this form of AI a disaster because students no longer have to learn anything to produce essays.
All they have to do is tell the program what to write about and, just like that, they get an essay. The program can even produce work in any given style.
For example, the expert interviewed in the piece demonstrated how “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” could be retold in the style of the King James Bible. Something along the lines of “In those days, Goldilocks came forth out of the East …”
You get the idea. The more I pondered all of this, the more I thought of what a boon this might be for pastors who must come up with a sermon each week that addresses some biblical truth and who must do it in a way that will not put the congregation to sleep.
I could see preachers, armed with such software, entering the command, “Jesus and the Transfiguration,” or “Explain the Resurrection.” No problem. Within 20 minutes, they’d have a sermon on their desk, perfectly typed and ready for delivery.
Sounds almost too good to be true. And, of course, it is. Seems the hockey puck in the oatmeal lands there because artificial intelligence still puts the emphasis on “artificial” rather than “intelligence.”
It can’t separate fact from fiction. The demonstration showed the computer program producing an essay recounting Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidency which began Jan. 20, 2017 and lasted until Jan. 20, 2025.
Oops.
Snags remain to be worked out. Until they are, this might not be the best option for preachers struggling with writer’s block. It also might not be the best solution for producing updated Bible translations.
For someone who has spent an entire career trying to craft words into meaningful sentences that express coherent thoughts, the notion of any machine taking over that job is laughable.
That means, pastors, that come Monday or Tuesday or whatever day it is you spend writing your sermons, you’ll still be researching the Scriptures, which were not produced by artificial intelligence, for those very real concepts you’ll need to feed your flocks.
Same goes for columnists.
Jim Ketchum is a retired Times Heald copy editor. Contact him at jeketchum1@comcast.net.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Ketchum: The following was written by a real, live human
