MIT-trained computer science professor says AI poses no immediate threat to human writers

Blazing Reader,

Last week, I shared how I was on the Fakeologist podcast talking with Ab (the host) and Jordan Henderson about whether or not AI will conquer the world of writing and art.

We all agreed that AI shows much value in the way of "smart searches" (gathering and processing data in an almost magical way). Nonetheless, we feel art and writing are still safe from any threats of computational domination.

MIT-trained computer science professor, Cal Newport, seems to agree with us. In his recent essay, AI and Work (Some Predictions), he says that it's "becoming increasingly clear, however, that for most people the act of writing in their daily lives isn’t a major problem that needs to be solved." He shares how one survey showed that only 5.4% of internet users ask ChatGPT to write on their behalf.

Besides replacing Google Search, Newport also predicts that the next big development will be language-guided software applications. Instead of having to search through drop-down boxes and pop-up screens, I'll be able to tell MS Word, using a simple chatbox, how I want my next novel formatted or Excel how I want it to display the millions of dollars in royalties that novel will bring in.

Despite this hopeful development, Newport explains why ChatGPT has hit a major obstacle in becoming a know-it-all, jack-of-all-trades that will eliminate the need for human intelligence and creativity.

As Newport comments:

I once said that the real Turing Test for our current age is an AI system that can successfully empty my email inbox, a goal that requires the mastery of any number of complicated tasks. Unfortunately for all of us, this is not a test we’re poised to see passed any time soon.

You can read all of Cal Newport's AI predictions over on his his blog.

John C.A. Manley

PS And for my more entertaining predictions regarding AI, robotics and the future of the human race, check out my latest novel, All the Humans Are Sleeping.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.