ChatGPT is not so Scary!

Recently I attended a very interesting, informative, and influential summit which I have no doubt will guide in me how I think and what I do well in the future. Jeff Moran invited me to the Learnovation Global Learning Summit in the Aviva stadium.

“Words are a form of action, capable of influencing change”.
Ingrid Bengis

There were four speakers in the morning to get the programme underway. The keynote speaker was Dr Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s AI ambassador and founder of Soapbox Labs.

She spoke with great eloquence and confidence for thirty minutes without slides or notes that I could see. In that short time, she greatly influenced me and the broader audience on how AI, and ChatGPT in particular, are already influencing us and will into the future.

Ireland should be proud of Patricia as our representative on the world stage.

The other three speakers, in comparison to Patricia, were, as my mother would say, not in the ha’penny place in comparison. (just OK).

One did no favours for the global organisation he represented, as he had far too many busy slides, ran over time and had to be asked twice by the programme chair to stop.

I would say he managed to confuse his audience, himself, and most definitely me, not the result he would have wished for when speaking to a large group of people from all over the globe.

My overall take from the morning session was that I had been using tools that incorporated AI and had not given significant thought to how these platforms improved my efficiency and life in general.
Interestingly, the abbreviation of artificial intelligence (AI) has been named the Collins Word of the Year for 2023.

Currently my favourite platforms are:

Grammarly: a very helpful editing tool when writing my article, yet I often overrule the advice proffered.

Microsoft Office Dictation: My most helpful tool as my typing is very slow.

The need now is to ensure that tools such as ChatGPT and its subsequent generations are strictly regulated and incorporated into safe, secure systems for everyone, with particular emphasis on young and vulnerable minds.

My time at Learnovation reduced my concern for the future of education and learning, having listened to the presenters, particularly Patricia Scanlon. Not only was her content reassuring, her presentation style was just what I aim for with my clients, confident, informative and interesting.

P.S. I am still of the view that a lot of the speakers turned up with their usual corporate presentation deck, having given little consideration to the specific need of their audience.

By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie