Whatever your preferred news medium, there are few subjects dominating the discourse more these days than ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022, with OpenAI’s garnering a valuation of a whopping $29 billion.
The discussion around ChatGPT has varied widely, from concerns about and the advantages likely gained by those who act on it first to how weird it feels to use it, even for longtime tech journalists like Kevin Roose, who wrote: “ChatGPT feels different. Smarter. Weirder. More flexible. It can write jokes (some of which are actually funny), working computer code and college-level essays. It can also guess at medical diagnoses, create text-based Harry Potter games and explain scientific concepts at multiple levels of difficulty.”
But some of the most interesting commentary has emphasized the point of view of our youths – you know, the population which will be wrangling with new, massive technological advancements for decades to come.
Count Kaz Keller among them. The 12-year-old Mill Valley student has been hosting regular ChatGPT classes in his family’s dining room and via Zoom in recent weeks, with “super happy participants, ranging from teenagers to grandparents,” says his dad Sam. “I’m excited for him to “scale up” to the Mill Valley Community Center.” That one-hour session is set for Thursday, May 18, 6-7pm.
The class seeks to cover everything you need to know about ChatGPT, including what it is, how to access it and how to leverage it for various purposes. Participants will also learn about the limitations and potential downsides of this AI-powered technology. “This interactive session is perfect for those curious about this revolutionary new AI tool,” Sam Keller says.