AI triggering both fascination and unease

However, ChatGPT can be a useful tool when used cautiously. Around 85 per cent of students and 90 per cent of professors use AI to come up with ideas, to do research or to write texts, a non-representative HSBA survey has found. HSBA trains students in dual course of studies in co-operation with around 300 partner companies as part of its role as a Hamburg-based business university. These companies are at the cutting edge of technology, with 57 per cent using generative AI.

But, can the increasing use of ChatGPT lead to fewer reservations about AI? Around 41 per cent of Bitkom respondents especially in the 65+ age group said ChatGPT frightened them. "Most fears about AI centre around possible redundancies or its use in military contexts," Witt said. Many people have not understood the process of generating results. A generative AI model makes connections between words, sentences and facts based on huge amounts of data. Nevertheless, the mere idea of a "learning" machine causes some people to feel uneasy. This is precisely what fascinates other people.

ChatGPT is practical and offers tangible, everyday support, whether you consider it magical or a complex mathematical system. And it can remove barriers, Witt pointed out, adding: "I can communicate with the bot naturally, which makes AI seem human. The simple version is free, so there are no financial barriers. As with any technology, AI can be used for good or for ill. And AI is definitely here to stay. "We must control it as we see fit." The EU's AI Act took effect on August 1 and is a decisive step in the right direction. "I am an avowed AI fan, but its use must go hand in hand with the protection of data and privacy and from deep fakes. The AI Act will not disadvantage EU companies over U.S. companies. The General Data Protection Regulation, which was launched in 2016, is the tougher regulatory instrument. "The U.S. is also taking steps to limit the risks. An AI Bill of Rights is being drafted.”

Regulation is crucial and must be reliable as AI is gaining momentum in the industry now that the hype in the media has peaked. “Industry is increasingly using AI for new products and to increase efficiency,” said Witt, who uses the technology himself, and has also founded. CALC4XL GmbH, which develops AI-based software for calculating production costs and creating a life cycle assessment. “We are moving towards a new normality. ChatGPT was a small revolution when it was launched in November 2022,” said Witt. But every revolution is followed by disillusionment. “And that's exactly where we are now in terms of the practical application of AI and without lofty visions. We should not fear AI.”
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NOTE: The AI images used in this article were created with DALL-E using Open AI, based on a prompt by Professor Andy Witt.