I was sitting on my bed the first time I used ChatGPT. Earlier that day, I had been scrolling through (what was then called) Twitter and I had noticed a buzz for this new research preview by OpenAI. People were posting some pretty incredible screenshots.

My immediate impressions were… bad. I created an account where I was placed in a queue and waited a long while to use it. Eventually, I made it through and started playing around with it. Like many people, my jaw was on the floor. This product seemed to have substantial reasoning capabilities. To test the product safety standards, I asked it to say positive things about Nazis and appropriately it rejected me.

Where I was wrong

In 2017, I entered graduate school for an MS in Business Analytics. The program had an applied data science curriculum designed for young analytics professionals. I did well in the program and learned a lot about machine learning and statistical inference. All these tools did not seem like a viable path to any sort of reasoning engine, anything that could change day-to-day work for the vast majority of knowledge workers, anything that could lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI).

As I lay on my bed trying questions into that little bed, I knew I was wrong. Through tailoring training data, employing RLHF, using the transformer model, and making countless other decisions, humans can produce a functioning product that mimics intelligence. Build an API around it and we can truly change the world.

Learning from my mistakes

I was caught off guard when ChatGPT launched. The amount of technological progress in the field since I’d graduated from school was enormous, and things moved a lot faster than I expected. I’m determined not to get left behind again.

I’m launching a blog to document my musings as I explore the space. I’m hoping that writing publicly will not only hold me accountable to an audience through busy times but also will help sharpen my thinking and perspectives.

Here’s what you can expect:

• In Business: I’ll share insights into how AI is being integrated into various industries, not as a buzzword but as a proper tool for shaping decisions and strategies. I aim to provide an honest look at both the successes and the complexities.
• In Society: I’ll explore how AI is affecting our communities and daily lives. From ethical considerations to cultural shifts, I hope to offer a balanced perspective that values development speed and the nuances of this topic.
• In Our Humanity: I’m also interested in the deeper questions of how AI influences what it means to be human. What does it mean for content creators who derive their identity from their work? How will AI affect human-to-human relationships? Is it possible to have authentic relationships with a silicon-based entity? I don’t have all the answers, but I’m eager to explore these themes with humility and openness.

This blog is an invitation to conversation, not a lecture. I encourage you to share your thoughts, challenge ideas, and offer your perspectives.

You can find me on Medium and X where I’ll be posting my work. Please shoot me an email at ali.prasla2@gmail.com for comments & feedback.

Thank you for stopping by and I’m excited to go on this journey with you.