Pocket worthyStories to fuel your mind

Who’s Afraid of ChatGPT?

Teachers, journalists, and Google are decrying ChatGPT’s dangers. But even some of its biggest fans consider it “as mundane as Excel.” Who’s right?

Pocket Collections

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

It’s tempting to ask ChatGPT to write an introduction to a reading list about ChatGPT, but I went the old-fashioned human route for this one. Not because of journalistic integrity or to avoid a increasingly-tiresome shtick, but because, as OpenAI told me when I tried, ChatGPT is at capacity right now. Too many old-fashioned humans had gotten there before me.

That makes sense: ChatGPT is dominating the headlines, often for its potential to destroy industries, professions, and possibly democracy. In some cases, these concerns are easy to refute, especially as we layer the technology with human innovation to create something new and special (see the NPR piece below for more on this idea). But there’s also a vague sense of dread lurking as some of the tech world’s top thinkers consider what a world filled with generative AI might mean ethically and existentially.

If this leaves you feeling a little uneasy, you’re not alone—and not without resources. We’ve gathered 10 fascinating stories that investigate the different ways ChatGPT has quickly seeped into our lives and economy, and which fears are most (and least) unnerving.

Image by Westend61/Getty Images

Greg RosalskyEmma Peaslee