Toastcaster 173: Demystifying Generative AI & ChatGPT –The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Robert Lavigne

[56:30] In the first half of 2023, Generative AI and apps like ChatGPT have hit us like a tidal wave and is already impacting our lives. Our expert guest today, Robert Lavigne always seems to ride ahead of the curve. Rob is a Generative AI and Digital Media Specialist and joins us today to help demystify this wild frontier for both techies and those new to AI.

Robert Lavigne is a Generative AI and Digital Media Specialist with a passion for audio podcasting and video production. He is the owner of The Digital Grapevine committed to serving as a thought leader in aligning digital branding and marketing strategies with a client’s business goals and objectives. With decades of experience, Robert helps guide clients in defining their digital vision by helping structure and present digital programs and recommendations to business owners and their respective decision makers He also provides ongoing support, mentoring, professional development and training to staff of client establishments when required. 

In addition, Robert is also the host / producer of numerous podcast and video interview series. The Digital Grapevine recently re-launched their Content Creator For Hire platform to focus on Generative AI projects. 

Rob is also the first person on the planet to have his own digital avatar complete with synthetic speaking in 10 languages modeled in his own vocal tone.

Robert Lavigne is from Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He can be reached on LinkedIn (rlavigne42) and at The Digital GrapeVine. You can also view many of his creations on YouTube.

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Rob generated the show notes below by feeding his side of the audio into AI tools.

AI Generated Show Notes:

Generative AI: Lavigne discusses the domains of generative AI, which include text, audio, video, and image generation, and stresses that they are machine learning systems, not self-aware entities.

Applications of Generative AI: Potential applications are identified across various sectors, including both white-collar and creative industries. Lavigne cites his use of ChatGPT-4 as a valuable tool in his creative process.

Concerns over AI (The Ugly): Job loss, misinformation, deepfakes, and potential misuse are cited as major concerns around AI. The potentially devastating impacts of AI misuse are likened to that of a nuclear bomb.

AI and Work: The potential for AI to take over mundane aspects of work is discussed, along with the challenges of achieving this ideal state.

Impact on Jobs (The Bad): Lavigne talks about how the rise of AI and automation, along with remote work and the gig economy, is intensifying competition for jobs.

Benefits of AI (The Good): Despite the potential downsides, Lavigne appreciates how AI has helped him deliver complex projects rapidly and improve the initial stages of his work.

AI in Creative Writing: Lavigne discusses his project, "The Digital Revolution," entirely written by GPT-4, highlighting the use of AI in creative writing.

Role of AI in His Work: Lavigne uses AI as a tool for producing desired outputs, leveraging its capabilities to aid his creative process.

Process of Using Generative AI: Lavigne explains his method of seeding the AI with basic factual information, leading to accurate, relevant outputs that can be used to generate impactful quotes and FAQs.

Quality of AI Outputs: The concept "garbage in, garbage out" is applied to AI, emphasizing the importance of good quality input to obtain valuable output.

Role of Prompt Engineers: The emerging role of "prompt engineers" who formulate prompts for AI is discussed, noting that those with a better understanding of language and question formulation tend to be more effective.

OpenAI and GPT-4: Lavigne speaks about OpenAI's role as a leading AI development company and their products such as GPT-4. He also talks about his use of ChatGPT, a product of OpenAI that uses GPT-4.

OpenAI and Microsoft Partnership: The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft is discussed, with GPT-4 now powering Microsoft's Bing search engine.

New Features in GPT-4: Lavigne introduces the new features in GPT-4, including plugins that allow the AI to interface with other software and data.

Interpreting Internet Content with GPT-4: Lavigne uses GPT-4 to interpret web content directly, bypassing manual website navigation. He predicts this capability may change the future of SEO and web traffic patterns.

Real Data as Input: The importance of using real data to seed GPT-4 is emphasized to prevent the AI from generating unfounded information.

Impact on Industries: Lavigne discusses the potential impacts of AI on various industries, including job loss, especia