Generative AI’s ability to mimic humans is uncanny, and somewhere there is a version that will affect almost every one of us, no matter the age, inclination, or place they call home. So, to start with, GPTs will make some of our skills obsolete. But many will find its true potential by not adapting to it but adapting it to them, just like they did with automobiles or the knife or even the exalted pen.
In the far future, everyone will have their own personal GPT for hire, as many of my smart peers in tech enthuse, though not all of them will be worth much. They will speak to it, create exceptional things with it, and plan their lives in collaboration with it. And yes, people will pay money to hang out with celeb GPTs for a post-dinner talk.
Brands are already testing their potential, with many going all in when it comes to product integration. This will lead to generative AI seeping into every aspect of our lives, sometimes not in a good way. It will become intrusive in some ways, as many of the technologies created to foster a sense of community have. GPTs will start appearing eerily in places like your TV as an uncannily real human and in completely unnecessary places like refrigerators and dishwashers offering to hold a conversation on Plato or Anthony Bourdain.
For consumers, they will not just recommend what their next listen should be but advise them on where to have their next meal, where to shop for that latest gadget, and even which gadget to buy based on their personal needs and wants. This would in turn see brands set out to woo GPTs so that they receive a favourable word when people enquire about them or even ask questions about their category.
It would be natural for marketers to start putting more content out there and try to influence the machine-learning process. And much of it will be created using AI. This would result in GPTs working hard to mould the opinions of GPTs, creating an interesting feedback loop.
Many marketers will also start opting for in-house GPTs to ensure their data isn’t training and improving the competitors’ GPTs. Marketing plans and creative executions will be tested extensively on GPTs, leaving less room for serendipity.
When it comes to the work behind the work, the current advertising agency model is already seeing extensive shifts. Agencies will lead with and spotlight their proprietary GPTs, pitching them as faster, smarter, and even more creative.
And, yes, writers and designers in all shapes and forms will still exist. Their work will be sped up a few times over because many will understand the value of GPTs as a tool for everyday research, brainstorming, and even execution. Film could be disrupted in many ways at every stage of production, except when it calls for human inspiration and sheer physical as well as mental hard work.
Having said that, no discussion about its future can be had without delving into its legal and ethical implications. We have already seen creators and publishers fighting back against copyright infringement. More and more people and companies will come forward with such claims, making first-party data the most important aspect of this technology.
There have been cases of GPTs being used to influence or intimidate children as well as adults with terrible consequences. All of humanity is driven by the need to be heard and seen, sometimes without being questioned. This will drive many to suspend disbelief and live in a world that is make believe. There are aspects that are still untested. Even when you train a GPT to act and behave in a certain way, for reasons unknown, it hallucinates or takes on a ‘life’ of its own.
But one of my strongest convictions is that humanity will prevail. People will learn to use them in ways that will be positive and healthy. But it will take a whole lot of baby steps and small moves, something that its propagators and supporters are yet to agree to. Hopefully that will see a turnaround, and we will be witness to a future where tech will move slowly and build things.
By S. A. Hassan Bilgrami, co-founder, co-ECD, and co-worker at CIQ.
