This is only the beginning…
Imagine a time where billions of people use large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT to help write everything from novels and academic articles to emails and social media posts. Many of these pieces will end up circulating on the internet, and over time, be used to train the LLMs. What might the consequences be?
Most people would probably agree that this creates an echo chamber. The feedback loop risks amplifying specific viewpoints while sidelining others, diminishing the diversity of thought and expression. Over time, the distinction between original human thoughts and AI-generated contents could blur, making it harder to trace the origins of information—and misinformation.
I think the greatest danger is that the change may happen on a vast scale without being detected by us. We are moving toward a parallel reality shaped significantly by AI, distinct from a reality where these tools are absent. Such a shift would emerge on a societal scale, altering perceptions and biases without us noticing.
The questions then arise: Can we detect and measure these shifts in reality? Can we set up probes, observatories, and experiments to quantify the impact of LLM on our collective intelligence?
I don’t have an answer to these questions, but I feel it might be important. Any suggestions?
Disclosure: This blog post was co-edited with ChatGPT4.