AI in the Wrong Hands? Billionaire Mark Cuban Expresses Fear of ChatGPT Takeover

Mark Cuban is a savvy billionaire entrepreneur who supports numerous tech trends like cryptocurrencies. Yet, he does not trust AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

In a recent episode of Jon Stewart’s “The Problem with Jon Stewart” podcast, he said these tools would exacerbate online misinformation.

Moreover, he explained that AI chatbots provide incorrect answers and “hallucinate” sources that seem like factual information.

What are the reasons behind Mark Cuban’s ChatGPT fears?

Mark Cuban lays into the AI hype, saying tools like ChatGPT will only worsen online misinformation https://t.co/ICtxySb37B

— Markets Insider (@MktsInsider) February 13, 2023

The Shark Tank judge stated that misinformation tends to spread via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 

However, Mark Cuban said that these websites at least have a semblance of human guardrails. People post content and are ready to correct misinformation that widely spreads.

On the other hand, Cuban said ChatGPT and similar platforms place control in the hands of machines. 

“Once these things start taking on a life of their own…. It will be difficult for us to define why and how the machine makes the decisions it makes and who controls the machine.”

ChatGPT and other AI programs have wowed people with their convincingly manmade content. However, they have yet to prove themselves smarter than humans.

For example, ChatGPT often answers math questions incorrectly. Also, it tends to “hallucinate” data because it sometimes makes up historical events.

It could also contradict itself as it might provide different answers when asked the same question repeatedly. 

Another reason for Mark Cuban’s ChatGPT doubts is Google’s recent AI mishap. The tech giant announced its new AI chatbot, Bard, via an online ad.

Unfortunately, it made a costly mistake when it claimed that the James Webb Space Telescope helped discover the first exoplanets.

NASA says that the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) took the first images in 2004.

That mistake may seem trivial to most people, but Google’s parent company Alphabet lost $102 billion after that error.

Mark Cuban also said artificial intelligence is still in its infancy. He emphasized that it is a major problem, especially for the masses who don’t usually verify online information. 

He stated, “Gen Z and younger, they’re not only native to it, they know how to block things out … They’re more in tune to all these issues.”

Why does AI have such problems?

Photo Credit: www.compsmag.com

Numerous companies have been trying to win the AI race by launching related products. For example, Microsoft will soon incorporate ChatGPT into its Bing search engine. 

It would answer search queries as if it were the AI chatbot. However, the ChatGPT-powered Bing will provide citations for its results.

As a result, it could solve one of ChatGPT’s major flaws. Yet, Microsoft admits that its latest AI service could have problems. Its FAQ page says:

“Bing will sometimes misrepresent the information it finds, and you may see responses that sound convincing but are incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate.”

The problem with citing online information is that a significant portion contains false data. The internet has a lot of fake news, photos, and articles. 

Some post them as satire or parodies, while others use them to intentionally mislead people. It is difficult for many people to distinguish between genuine and fake nowadays. 

As a result, AI could easily quote information from incorrect or outdated sources. However, experts may soon resolve these issues as technology advances further.

Conclusion

Mark Cuban worries that ChatGPT may exacerbate the rampant spread of online misinformation because artificial intelligence is still in its infancy.

However, Mark Cuban’s ChatGPT fears were not enough to dissuade him from investing in tech projects. For example, he has been supporting Alethea AI.

It is a platform developing ChatGPT-powered avatars via blockchain. Tech is rapidly shifting daily life, so keep up with the latest trends by following Inquirer USA.