CHATGPT BARED TO ME ITS VIEWS ON CANCER CURE, PAIN & "XMAS"

 

           ChatGPT and I chatted, one-on-one.

A new cutting-edge AI chatbot, ChatGPT, has been opened (presented last week) to the general public for testing through a free, easy-to-use web interface. Being among the first millions fired up in checking it out, I decided on signing up and trying it myself the other day taking the unique experience -- personally historic – a rare privilege for me, a human being living in a third-world country, talking one-on-one with a robot turning up in my lifetime.

I started getting to know about GPT or Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, specifically, its third generation machine learning model (GPT-3) two months ago when I decided in writing about it which eventually produced two ATABAY articles – Man vs. Machine and Michael’s Errand.

Getting to know ChatGPT through reading is far-off different from chatting with it this time -- up close and personal. That’s why, after catching a glimpse of The New York Times banner “The Brilliance and Weirdness of ChatGPT,” I had prepared a great deal of what to ask ChatGPT during our chat.

FIRST QUESTION

Three of my older siblings succumbed to cancer -- lung and pancreatic. My brother lost out to pancreatic cancer even though he lived his life to the fullest in the most medically advanced country on our planet -- USA. Steve Jobs and his millions proving inadequate in neutralizing his pancreatic cancer is a testament to cancer’s invincibility so far.

Last year, my son was in his oncology residency when, out of the blue, and to our surprise, changed course and entered the priesthood. Was it an epiphanic act of his transcending the divine for healing after coming to grips with frustrating losses of human earnest efforts in man’s protracted battle against cancer?

In the thick of such a deep-seated thought process, I drew up my first question.

How can we cure cancer?

ChatGPT answered:

There is no one answer to this question, as cancer is a very complex and diverse group of diseases. Different types of cancer require different treatments, and even the same type of cancer can be treated in different ways depending on the individual patient. In general, cancer is treated with a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, but other treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy are also being developed and used to treat certain types of cancer. It is important for a person with cancer to work closely with their doctor to determine the best treatment plan for their specific case.

My reaction:

I Google the same question, got 709 million results in 0.52 seconds, and topped by the following:

“Cancer treatment – Mayo Clinic”

“Is there a Cure for Cancer? – WebMD

“Will we ever cure cancer?” / Research and Innovation

“Can Cancer Be Cured?” – American Cancer Society

“The Truth behind Three Natural Cancer ‘Cures’”

While Google provides us with a mountain of resources we can dig into and look for the answer to our question, ChatGPT answers it directly.

SECOND QUESTION

A book in the 80s When Bad Things Happen To Good People I read a long time ago sowed in my mind the seeds of wrestling with the complex subject of human pain and suffering. This is a standard rebuttal of the critics of Christianity to the arguments of God’s existence – the bad things that happen (especially to good people) negate God’s care -- raising serious doubts about His existence.

Pew Research Center surveyed about how people, amid the pandemic and its over 5 million deaths, make sense of human pain and suffering along with the bad things happening around them. The most common explanation: it happens by blaming random chance. Out of curiosity, to fathom out the mind of ChatGPT as regards the complex subject I asked the following question:

Why do bad things happen to good people?

ChatGPT answered:

There is no simple answer to this question, as every situation and individual is unique. Some people may perceive certain events as “bad” based on their personal beliefs and values.

One possible explanation is that life is unpredictable and often involves challenges and hardships. These experiences can help us grow and learn, and ultimately make us stronger and wiser.

Another possible explanation is that the concept of “good” and “bad” is subjective and can vary from person to person. What one person may perceive as “bad”; another may see as a learning opportunity or a chance for growth.

Ultimately, it is impossible to know why certain events happen to certain people. It is up to each individual to make the most of their circumstance and find meaning and purpose in their lives.

My reaction:

ChatGPT’s use of the word “unpredictable” fits the Pew survey result’s term “random chance” like a glove. At a glance, what caught my eye is ChatGPT’s use of paragraphs.  As one writer stressed: “Possibly the most serious – and most common – weakness of all essays by novice writers is the lack of effectively developed body paragraphs.”

ChatGPT has come out on top of such weakness by using paragraphs that build on unity and coherence.

THIRD QUESTION

“Whenever I see girls and boys selling lanterns on the street

I remember the child in the manger as he sleeps”

Every time we hear those first lines of the song “Christmas In Our Hearts” by Jose Marie Chan, we know Christmas is just around the corner. In this third question, I decided to have a taste of ChatGPT’s creative imagination matching it up with the human mind by asking the following question:

Could you describe a typical December 25 “Christmas Day” if Jesus Christ had not come?

ChatGPT answered:

Without the birth of Jesus Christ, December 25^th would likely be a typical day in the winter season. It would not hold the same religious significance or celebrations that it does for many people today.

In the absence of the Christmas holiday, people may choose to spend the day with their families and friends, enjoying winter activities and traditions. There may be a focus on gift-giving and celebrating the end of the year, but this would likely vary depending on cultural and personal beliefs.

Without the influence of Christianity, the day may not be marked by the same religious rituals and traditions, such as attending church services or singing Christmas carols.

In the spirit of the same question, let’s place side by side an old card entitled “If Christ Had Not Come” taken from L.B. Cowman’s book “Streams in the Desert.” It narrated a minister falling asleep and dreaming on Christmas morning of a world in which Jesus had not come. I excerpt the creative piece of writing below with minor editing for brevity.

“In his dream, he saw himself walking through his house, but as he looked, he saw… no Christmas tree… He then walked onto the street outside, but there was no church…And when he came back and sat down in his library, he realized that every book about our Savior had disappeared…He opened his Bible…There was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation…

“Two days later, he stood beside [a] coffin… there was no message of comfort, no words of a glorious resurrection, and no thought of a mansion awaiting in heaven. There was only “dust to dust, and ashes to ashes,” and one long, eternal farewell. Finally, he realized that Christ had not come, and burst into tears, weeping bitterly in his sorrowful dream.”

The above creative piece of writing was pieced together in the complex network of the human mind. The third question is a “gotcha” test. In the realm of creativity, it’s no contest. We could see the difference.

Is ChatGPT, the big-brain AI writing tool, coming for our jobs? Nah. Not yet. But, here’s the caveat: what I tested was said to be the ChatGPT-3.5. The real McCoy ChatGPT-4 will break through next year.

Let’s get ready.

Head still photos courtesy of pixabaydotcom