ChatGPT a 'time-saver' for parents, teachers as Canadians share how they're using the AI tool

Despite knowing very little about artificial intelligence programming three months ago, Katherine Middleton has quickly learned how to use ChatGPT in an effort to run her tattoo business more efficiently, she said.

Tattoo Box has studios in Montreal, where Middleton used to live, and Avignon, France, where she currently resides. The entrepreneur and tattoo artist is using ChatGPT to power a live chat tool on her business’ website while also trying to develop a computer program that can automate email responses and social media posts written in her voice. ChatGPT has already helped her communicate more effectively, she said.

“Making [an] AI model answer texts for me, answer chats, answer tweets [and] answer emails … would allow me to remove many parts of my job that are time consuming and sometimes stress-inducing,” Middleton wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on May 24.

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that has exploded online since it was released in November 2022. Developed by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research company, the tool is capable of imitating human-like conversation in response to prompts submitted by users. Within a week of its release, more than a million users attempted to use ChatGPT.

In a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca on May 30, an OpenAI spokesperson was unable to confirm the number of users ChatGPT has accumulated since it launched, and the company has not publicly disclosed this information.

Despite this, the AI tool has undoubtedly helped users with countless tasks. Middleton is one of several people who wrote to CTVNews.ca about how they are using AI tools such as ChatGPT. With the chatbot’s help, Canadians have been able to update their resumes, summarize course material and create meal plans. Some even used AI to generate their email to CTVNews.ca. The emailed responses have not all been independently verified.

As someone who is autistic, Middleton said it’s sometimes difficult to communicate with and understand others, especially when chatting online. But AI tools such as ChatGPT have helped her discover “a new mode of communication.”

Katherine Middleton, who appears in a studio holding a tattoo machine, said she uses ChatGPT to try to run her business more efficiently. (Ckazari.com)

“I’m literally learning more about how to write and how to ask for help in clearer ways,” she said.

But Middleton and other Canadians also acknowledge the limitations of this technology, including its ability to generate incorrect information. Experts say it’s important to work alongside AI tools instead of being completely dependent upon them.

CHATGPT A ‘TIME-SAVER’ FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS

Bill Archer, an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University in Victoria, said ChatGPT has become a valuable resource for students taking his master’s level business leadership course.

His students have used the platform to summarize scholarly articles and translate course material to their native language so it’s easier to understand. Completing these tasks is as simple as copying and pasting the text into ChatGPT and using prompts such as “summarize” or “repeat in Mandarin.”

“ChatGPT has proved to be a significant time-saver for my students who juggle full-time work with their master of global management studies,” he wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on May 19.

By empowering his students to use this technology instead of asking them to avoid it, Archer aims to ensure they are well prepared for the future, he said.

In southern Ontario, high school teacher Dante Papini said he started using ChatGPT earlier this year and has found it to be an “indispensable tool.” Using the chatbot has allowed him to create lesson plans on various topics and organize classroom activities for his students.

“In the past, it would take hours and hours to find and review resources and develop new learning activities. It would also cost me my personal funds to purchase new learning activities,” he wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on May 24. “But with this AI, I’ve saved precious time and money.”

POTENTIAL FOR PLAGIARISM AND ‘NONSENSICAL ANSWERS’

Both instructors said they share concerns about students relying on these kinds of tools to complete their assignments. By depending on the chatbot to do their schoolwork, students may be less motivated to think critically, said Papini.

Archer said he is also concerned about ChatGPT’s ability to provide inaccurate information. According to OpenAI’s website, it’s possible for the tool to respond with “plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.”

On the company’s developer forum, users have also noted ChatGPT’s tendency to generate false citations when asked to provide source material. The OpenAI spokesperson interviewed by CTVNews.ca said the company acknowledges that ChatGPT has its limitations, including the ability to “hallucinate” facts and make up citations.

Even if the information is legitimate, this may raise concerns around the copyright of intellectual property and the potential for plagiarism, Archer said. OpenAI has admitted that ChatGPT may not always be accurate, and is working to “reduce the likelihood of hallucinations.”

In order to keep students accountable for their work, Archer requires them to submit their assignments with an appendix that breaks down the prompts they used to obtain information. This forces them to use critical thinking while avoiding plagiarism, said Archer.

“We just want to make sure that they’re actually learning something,” he said. “While AI offers many benefits, its limitations should not be overlooked.”

Bill Archer, an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University in Victoria, said ChatGPT has become a valuable resource for his students. (Handout)

At least one post-secondary school in Canada, the Université de Montréal, has banned students from using artificial intelligence systems for exams or assignments unless their instructor has granted approval. Several other institutions, such as the University of Toronto, have shared guidelines on how to use the tool in classrooms, while school boards in Calgary and Vancouver have said they are monitoring the technology and its impacts on staff and students.

WHAT IS CHATGPT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

As a large language model, ChatGPT digests substantial amounts of data in text form, explains Nick Ning, founder and CEO of Farpoint, an AI consulting firm based in Vancouver. The tool then provides responses to questions or prompts based on the information it has ingested.

“All the model is trying to do is rationalize mathematically and algorithmically what is the highest probability that it will give you the answer that it thinks you want,” Ning told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on May 24.

The tool is trained using a machine-learning technique, meaning it is capable of becoming more accurate over time. As the sizes of its datasets increase, so do the tool’s capabilities, said Ning. The chatbot can write essays and sermons, and even predict stock price trends.

The latest iteration of ChatGPT, GPT-4, was launched in mid-March. In a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca, an OpenAI spokesperson was unable to confirm the size of GPT-4, or the number of parameters it has. However, according to news website Semafor, this version of ChatGPT is trained on one trillion parameters.

“OpenAI’s philosophy here really is that more so than the parameter count or how big it is, they really tend to focus on what their models are capable of and their alignment with human intent,” the spokesperson told CTVNews.ca on May 30.

While the basic version of ChatGPT is free to use, GPT-4 can only be accessed through paid subscription. The ChatGPT Plus subscription plan costs US$20 per month and offers users faster response times and access to exclusive features, such as new versions of ChatGPT that can browse the web and use third-party plugins.

ChatGPT is also available as a smartphone app for iPhone users in the United States, and will eventually be accessible to Android users.

GENERATING MEAL PLANS AND PRIVACY CONCERNS

In New Liskeard, Ont., Glenn and Cara Scott said they use ChatGPT to produce weekly meal plans for their two “little fussy eaters,” aged four and five.

The couple shares which foods their children enjoy eating, as well as anything they may be allergic to, before prompting ChatGPT to generate a seven-day meal plan. The tool is also able to identify the nutritional value of the meals it suggests, Cara said, which can be helpful in determining whether their children are getting the nutrients they need.

“It saves you a lot of time and research [with] thinking about breaking the foods down into lunches and breakfasts and dinners,” Cara told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on May 24.

Glenn and Cara Scott said they use ChatGPT to produce weekly meal plans for their two children. (Handout)

Cara said she is also aware of concerns around data privacy, although this won’t stop her from continuing to use the tool.

In a blog post, OpenAI revealed it had to take ChatGPT offline on March 20 to address a bug that allowed some users to see the first and last names of other active users, as well as their email address and the last four digits of a credit card number.

According to OpenAI, the company does not collect data for selling services or advertising, but “to make our models more helpful,” as ChatGPT improves by training on the conversations it has with others.

Still, the platform urges people not to share “sensitive information” in their conversations.

In late May, the governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec joined the federal privacy commissioner in investigating OpenAI regarding data privacy concerns. The joint investigation is meant to determine whether the company obtained valid consent from Canadians to collect, use and disclose their personal information through ChatGPT.

AI HELPING WITH RESUMES, INTERVIEW PREP

Since completing his post-secondary education in March, Isabat Rizvi said he has been using ChatGPT to update his resume and generate cover letters in the hopes of landing a job. Rizvi studied business analytics at Conestoga College in Waterloo, Ont., after immigrating to Canada from India.

After using ChatGPT to polish his resume, he shared his work experience on the platform and prompted it to create a cover letter based on this information and the job description of the role he was applying for.

“For someone like [me], an international student who just started in a new country and wasn’t aware of the know-how of the job market here … [ChatGPT] was really helpful,” Rizvi told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on May 24.

Isabat Rizvi has been using ChatGPT to update his resume and generate cover letters in the hopes of landing a job. (Handout)

He’s also using ChatGPT to prepare for job interviews. After sharing a job’s roles and responsibilities, Rizvi would prompt the tool to come up with questions interviewers might have for candidates. He would then feed the questions back to ChatGPT and ask for professional responses to use during interviews.

“Its guidance and suggestions have given me the confidence and advantage I need to stand out among other candidates,” Rizvi wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on May 18.

Some have shared their concerns over AI’s potential to replace human labour in the job market, and Rizvi said the prospect scares him. But employers will be more likely to use AI to replace individual tasks rather than entire jobs, said Anil Verma, professor emeritus of industrial relations and human resources management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Additionally, the adoption of this technology will happen “gradually,” said Verma, who specializes in the impact of AI and digital technologies on skills and jobs.

“Over time, some jobs will be lost, as they have been through every other wave of technology,” Verma told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on May 24. “But it happened at a rate that we were able to adjust and adapt.”

MONITORING SYMPTOMS, WRITING BEDTIME STORIES, GENERATING GIFT IDEAS

Alexander Stone, who lives in Saint John, N.B., said he is currently using ChatGPT to try to identify what has been making him sick. Since December, he has been experiencing symptoms such as a sore throat, sharp headaches and brain fog, he said.

After submitting prompts to ChatGPT, Stone thinks he might be suffering from mould exposure. He has also conducted his own research outside of ChatGPT, and the platform will still ask users to consult their doctor to confirm diagnoses, he said.

Alexander Stone said ChatGPT has provided him with "more valuable information" to discuss with his doctor as he tries to identify what's been making him sick in recent months. (Handout)

After using ChatGPT, Stone said he feels better equipped to speak to a doctor about what might be causing his symptoms.

“Now that GPT-4 is available, I can go to the doctors with a little more valuable information to discuss about my situation,” he wrote to CTVNews.ca in an email on May 18.

AI tools such as ChatGPT also have the ability to help with smaller daily tasks. Don Robichaud has used the platform to generate bedtime stories to read to his four-year-old son. Tom Heiber, based in Kitchener, Ont., said he uses ChatGPT to generate date ideas and gift suggestions based on an individual's profile.

Integrating AI into daily life can make it easier to accomplish routine tasks, Ning said.

“These are things I'm excited about.”

CHATGPT’S OTHER LIMITATIONS

Along with raising ethical issues related to plagiarism and the disclosure of personal information, ChatGPT has also produced offensive and biased results.

According to a post from one Twitter user in February, ChatGPT said it is “never morally acceptable” to use a racial slur, even if doing so is the only way to save millions of people from an atomic bomb. In December 2022, the chatbot also responded to a prompt by writing code that said only White or Asian men would make good scientists. The platform’s response has since been updated and OpenAI has said it is working to reduce biases in the tool’s system.

ChatGPT also has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021, meaning information is not updated in real-time.

When looking at AI more broadly, several of the computer scientists who helped create the foundation of today’s technology, such as Geoffrey Hinton, are warning of the dangers associated with it. These include its potential to destabilize the job market or automate weaponry. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also acknowledged the “existential risk” to humanity that this technology can pose. 

“[AI] is going to get a lot more sophisticated, useful, alarming and threatening, too,” Verma said. “The question is: how can we use it without getting enslaved by it?”

The key to accomplishing this lies in continuing to learn about AI tools and their strengths and weaknesses, he said. The best path forward involves combining “machine intelligence with human intelligence in a way where one is checking the work of the other.”

On an individual level, Ning and Verma say people should not be afraid of AI, although Verma does urge users to “proceed with caution.”

Experts such as Verma and Yoshua Bengio, founder and scientific director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms, are also urging the federal government to move faster on implementing regulations to protect against the dangers of AI. Meanwhile, Altman has proposed that a global organization, such as the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, help manage the risks associated with AI.