Quantum leap

The world gasped when ChatGPT was released last November. OpenAIAn American artificial intelligence company. It says its mission is to "benefit all of humanity". 's new artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning. software could write topical comedy routines, compose poetry and explain complex physics. Tasks that would take people hours to do could be completed in seconds.

ChatGPT had some teething problems. It made many mistakes. Users even found a way to drive it insane. But this week, OpenAI released a ChatGPT-4, a new model that fixes these errors. The AI revolution might have finally arrived.

The biggest discoveries and inventions in history completely changed our lives. First up was fire. Researchers believe that fire allowed our ancestorsThe people related to us who lived a long time ago. to cook food, releasing nutrients that grew our bodies and brains. This made us into the thinking race we are today.

The invention of writing allowed us to store knowledge.¹ Louis PasteurA 19th Century French chemist known for his discoveries on vaccination and pasteurisation. 's discovery of bacteria in milk birthed modern medicine, allowing us to live healthier, longer lives. Generating electricity allows us to cleanly light rooms and power computers.

Many believe that AI is the latest in this list. Microsoft executive Brad Smith says it will change the world "for decades". AI can do amazing things. It can take boring tasks out of our hands. It can produce a finished-looking poster from a rough sketch. It can generate computer code. It can even pass the bar examAn exam that lawyers must pass. and proof-read legal documents.

This also makes AI alarming. If ChatGPT can do our work better than we do, what will we do instead? Critics suggest that AI could gradually take over various roles. In an AI-centred world, many of our daily interactions with people - shopkeepers, bus drivers, teachers - may be gone. This would be an era-defining change.

Others believe that AI has been overrated. Humans are intelligent because they can observe reality, learn from it and then apply that to create new things. ChatGPT combs information and puts it together based on formulas. It can make but not create.

All the greatest discoveries become vital to our lives. Fire is used to heat our homes, generate energy and power vehicles. If fire vanished overnight, society would collapse. If AI vanished, however, we might notice little difference.

Yes: The biggest discoveries change our lives forever. Fire made us human. Electricity enabled modern life. The Internet connected the whole world. And now, finally, AI will make us obsolete. 

No: The great discoveries allowed us to do completely new things: cook food, power machines, cure diseases. As it stands, AI just does things we can already do in a slightly more efficient way.

Or... AI is a tool created by humans. For now at least, it remains under our control. Whether it changes humanity will depend on how we - and the tech companies behind the new technology - choose to use it.