The breakneck speed of cutting-edge technology means that as the ramifications of artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT continue to play out in real life and spark discussions on how their widespread use might affect the future, the average person — who may be still trying to grasp what the software actually does or is used for — can be left behind.
The everyday user can keep up with the rapid advancement of platforms like ChatGPT with the Princeton Public Library and PSG of Mercer County’s free upcoming Job Seekers presentation, “Insiders Guide to ‘Keep Pace’ with ChatGPT: Unique Insights on Understanding ChatGPT and LLM Ecosystems,” featuring technology leader George Pace on Friday, August 4, from 9:45 a.m. to noon in the PPL Community Room at 65 Witherspoon Street.
According to the PSG calendar’s description of the event, Pace aims to explain how “ChatGPT is the latest disruptive technology that has little (if any) actionable guidance,” noting that the program, as well as other Large Language Models, or LLMs, will undoubtedly change and shape the workplace.
As the website continues, Pace’s career has revolved around helping companies react to “disruptive forces,” or breakthrough innovations like cloud computing, AI, and digital assistants, as well as outside forces like the COVID-19 pandemic, that impact the functionality of a business.
Pace will draw on his years of experience advising organizations on adapting to these unexpected scenarios by breaking down the basics of ChatGPT, outlining how the average user may or should approach it, what to know, and the best ways to stay on top of the technology as it evolves.
Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November of last year, the program has become one of the most recognizable names in generative AI technology. Yet while the language model prioritizes efficiency with a “human-like” memory designed to learn as users input more content, ChatGPT’s debatable precision and ethical implications continue to stir up arguments on the place of AI not only in the work environment, but in modern society as a whole.
Although ChatGPT can be a helpful asset for brainstorming ideas or re-envisioning text with alternative phrasing, the professional-sounding responses have no guarantee of accuracy, as the chatbot simply pulls from a source and produces text in a format ranging from conversational to academic.
ChatGPT has such a broad scope of abilities because not only can it increasingly — and easily — mimic a writing style that enables students to submit its words in place of original school essays, but it also allows a user to draft important legal documents like contracts. All of these applications, however, still lack the fact-checking capabilities and common sense of a human being.
Another concern is that data entering the system is no longer private or secure, which has resulted in security issues for individuals and corporations such as Samsung, whose employees are now banned from using ChatGPT after revealing “sensitive information” to the chatbot.
The greater need for oversight as AI technology improves might avoid these dilemmas, especially in cases where programs have started to replace positions held by human beings. With both sides working together for ideal results, policies and practices could gear progress towards enhancing efficiency for workers rather than eliminating their jobs entirely.
AI features like Siri and Cortana are already part of our daily lives, and chatbots such as ChatGPT can serve similar assistive qualities that allow employees to refocus their attention on more pressing matters and handle activities less suited to automation.
Industry experts predict that AI will usher in a second Industrial Revolution. But whether that sentiment holds true or not, many acknowledge that stronger regulations might help ensure people use the software to speed up a process, not remove people from the picture.
Weighing in on this new environment in which AI can be utilized to eliminate expenses or personnel, Pace, a self-described “lifelong disruptive technology practitioner,” currently serves as an AVP principal enterprise architect at the employee benefits and financial insurance business Unum.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Pace received his bachelor’s in computer science from Seton Hall University and his MBA in finance from Rutgers University. He was a member, then director, of Prudential Financial’s Enterprise Architecture Team in Newark for 20 years, where he employed IT strategies to build and implement infrastructure solutions.
Pace has continued those principles as a part-time disruptive strategy consultant at Keep Pace Technology since 2020, where he helps both companies and individuals navigate these situations successfully.
Pace previously shared a version of this “Insiders Guide” presentation at the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit on June 15, an online event hosted by innovator Gerald “Solutionman” Haman and sponsored by the Chicago-based think tank he founded, The SolutionPeople Network, or TSPN, which centers on providing “creative thinking and innovative solutions,” according to the company’s LinkedIn. The summits are held on the third Thursday of every month and follow a Ted Talk-like format.
For more information, see the PPL page for the event at princetonlibrary.org.
