Turbulent times are coming in everything related to Artificial Intelligence . Many still don't fully understand what it entails, others are downright terrified of it, and meanwhile, there are those who are frantically trying to decipher all its details to understand it thoroughly and not be left behind. Wherever you stand, the truth is that AI seems to have definitively arrived to revolutionize everything, and in fact, it's already turning some companies upside down…
Staff cut after the arrival of ChatGPT
The debate about whether AI will ultimately take our jobs has been (and continues to be) extensive, and while the facts so far contradict this, we are already seeing the first signs of a reality we may have to face in the not-too-distant future. The media platform Insider has laid off 10% of its staff , including writers, a move that comes a week after its editor-in-chief, Nicholas Carlson, announced that his team would begin experimenting with ChatGPT.
As you know, this tool developed by OpenAI is capable of providing highly accurate answers in real time, something it achieves by training itself on vast amounts of text using deep learning and natural language processing techniques. Its capacity to generate information is virtually limitless, making it a valuable resource for certain jobs that rely on generating information and text (such as journalism).
Therefore, the fact that 10% of a staff was dismissed a week after ChatGPT began to be used is suspicious at the very least, although an Insider spokesperson has denied that one fact has any relation to the other.
As Gizmodo points out , the layoffs were announced via email and, according to Barbara Peng, president of Insider Incorporated, are due to "significant pressure for over a year" and major "economic obstacles" affecting both their clients and partners, as well as themselves. Even so, it's impossible to see AI as the reason for this decision, given that they have openly acknowledged they were going to start using the OpenAI platform for a significant number of tasks.
ChatGPT, an ideal substitute?
In the letter to staff that Insider sent last week, the company acknowledged that it was looking to establish a team dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence into the company's workflow. It noted that AI could be used to develop story outlines, find typos to save editors time —remember, there's the role of the Copy Editor, who handles this— create search engine optimized headlines , and even serve as a source of explanation for complex topics. However, it asked writers not to include the text generated by ChatGPT directly (i.e., word for word) in their articles.
It's true that the tech sector isn't going through its best period, and a wave of layoffs has hit other major media companies in the US. Even so, it's hard not to think that these firms find solace or a final push by turning to solutions like ChatGPT, capable of performing certain tasks previously done by a person—with the savings that entails.
And you, do you think that the AI has finished giving the push for these layoffs or are they really two independent situations?