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Just Mumbling around Career Education

Episode 67: January 23, 2029

  • Episode 67: My First Chat with ChatGPT (January 23, 2029)

    Teruyuki Fujita (University of Tsukuba)

    I had a brief chat with ChatGPT, which quickly began to attract the world's attention at the end of last year, 2022. Today, I'd like to report on the results.

    ChatGPT is an interactive language AI model developed by OpenAI, a private non-profit research institute. It is attracting attention for its advanced performance, which sets it apart from conventional interactive AI. For example, an article I saw online a few days ago, "ChatGPT Used Massively in Final Exams at Stanford University" (January 27, 2023), reported the following:
    "Roughly speaking, ChatGPT has reached a level of competence that allows it to pass the final exam with a B in the MBA program at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most prestigious universities in the world."
    https://www.gizmodo.jp/2023/01/chat-gpt-stanford-university.html (*in Japanese)

    If you're wondering if this is true, you might want to give it a try. Below is an excerpt from a "conversation" between ChatGPT and me.

    ✽

    *Unless otherwise noted, all conversations here are in Japanese, and the following is an English translation.

    Fujita (hereafter F): What factors contributed to Japan's rapid economic growth after World War II?
    ChatGPT (C):
    1. Expansion of domestic demand: Domestic consumption increased in postwar Japan, contributing to economic growth.
    2. Foreign investment: Foreign companies invested in Japan, contributing to industrial expansion.
    3. Labor force: A large number of highly productive workers contributed to economic growth.
    4. Industrial Policy: Through its industrial policy, the government sought to expand industries such as manufacturing and mining.
    5. Export Promotion: The government supported the sale of Japanese products overseas through export promotion policies.

    F: Could you tell me more about "industrial policy"?
    C: Industrial policy is a government policy to promote industries. In Japan, since World War II, the following goals have been achieved through industrial policy:
    1. Reform the industrial structure: To increase efficiency and improve competitiveness.
    2. Industrial expansion: Expansion of designated industries to increase domestic production, job creation, and foreign investment.
    3. Technological development: We have improved the competitiveness of industry by supporting technological development.
    4. Export promotion: Through export promotion policies, the government supported the sale of Japanese products overseas. Through these industrial policies, Japan's economy expanded, and economic growth was realized.

    F: What specific measures were taken to "reform the industrial structure"?
    C: To reform the industrial structure, the government took the following measures:
    1. Industrial restructuring: By reorganizing Japan's industrial structure, efficiency was improved.
    2. Capital investment: By encouraging capital investment, the government improved industrial competitiveness.
    3. Human resource development: By developing human resources, we have fostered a workforce with high labor productivity.
    4. Technological development: Supporting technological development to improve industrial competitiveness.
    5. Export promotion: Through export promotion policies, Japan has supported the sale of Japanese products overseas.
    Through these measures, reform of the industrial structure was implemented, contributing to Japan's economic growth.

    F: What specific "human resource development" policies have been implemented?
    C: The government implemented the following "human resource development" policies:
    1. Education reform: Education reform improved the quality of education and the skills of workers.
    2. Engineer training: Engineering education has produced workers with high technical skills.
    3. Professional development: Through professional development, the enterprise has fostered human resources with professional skills.
    4. Training program: We supported the development of employees' skills through our training program.
    5. Vocational skills development: We supported workers' career development through vocational skills development.
    Through these measures, we were able to improve workers' skills and ensure high labor productivity.

    F: Are there any unique characteristics of these "human resource development" measures in Japan?
    C: Japan's "human resource development" measures have several unique features.
    1. Unified education system: Japan has a unified education system that provides education to improve workers' skills.
    2. Emphasis on developing high technical skills: Japan places a high priority on improving technical skills, and therefore focuses on training engineers.
    3. Emphasis on cultivating specialized craftspeople: Japan is cultivating workers with advanced technical skills by strengthening its training of specialized craftspeople.
    4. System to support workers' career development: Japan is promoting a training system and a professional development system to support workers' career development.
    These features of human resource development measures contribute to improving workers' skills and ensuring high labor productivity.

    F: However, public adult education or lifelong learning programs in Japan do not have a high percentage of content related to professional development. Does this fact contradict your answer? (*I asked this question in a slightly argumentative way)
    C: No, there is no contradiction. It is a fact that few formal adult education or lifelong learning programs in Japan deal with content related to professional development. At the same time, however, it is common for companies and employees themselves to use training and development programs to support employees' career development.

    F: So who provides the "training and development programs" used by "companies and employees themselves" in Japan?　
    C: Training and development programs in Japan are provided by companies, labor organizations, and professional educational institutions. Many companies offer internal training and employee training programs to help employees advance their careers. Labor organizations and professional educational institutions also offer training and workshops for professional development. Although few public adult education or lifelong learning programs deal with career development issues, it is common for employees themselves to use training and development programs to advance their own careers.

    F: Why do companies in Japan "offer internal training and employee training programs to help employees advance their careers"?　Wouldn't it be more efficient to outsource training and development systems? (*I threw a curveball.)
    C: In Japan, it is a company's responsibility to support the career development of its employees, and it is believed that this will lead to improved quality and competitiveness as a company. In-house training and education programs also have the advantage of allowing employees to acquire company-specific knowledge and business styles. For this reason, it is more common for training and training to be conducted within a company rather than outsourced.

    F: I understand your explanation. However, sufficient internal reserves are necessary to enhance training within a company. Is it possible to continue such measures under the recent economic slowdown in Japan?
    C: Even in Japan's low-growth economy, companies still place a high priority on human resource development. They believe that by expanding in-house training and development, they will help their employees improve their skills and careers, thereby maintaining or enhancing their long-term competitive advantage. It also benefits the company by increasing worker motivation, reducing turnover, and promoting a sense of organizational unity. However, the availability of sufficient retained earnings varies from company to company.

    F：How many languages do you comprehend? (*I abruptly changed the topic and the language to English.)
    C：As an AI language model developed by OpenAI, I have been trained on a diverse range of text data in many different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and others. However, my proficiency in comprehending and generating text in each of these languages may vary. (*He, too, responded in English, without the slightest pause.)

    F：What language are you most comfortable with? (*I continued our conversation in English.)
    C：As an AI language model, I don't have personal preferences or comfort levels, but I have been primarily trained on English text data, so I am likely to have the highest proficiency in English. Nevertheless, I am designed to process and generate text in multiple languages, and I will do my best to provide accurate and helpful answers in any language that I have been trained on.

    F：(*Then, I suddenly reverted to Japanese.) As training for you continues in the future and you are able to handle more information, will humans no longer need to make the effort to memorize anything?
    C: No, the training and evolution of AI models will not eliminate the need for humans to memorize things; AI models can efficiently process huge data sets that humans cannot handle, but they cannot have a unique perspective with human imagination, creativity, judgment, emotion, and experience. It cannot. In addition, AI models can organize and present information, but cannot judge the accuracy or validity of that information. Humans will continue to play an important role because they can use their own imagination and experience to understand and use information appropriately. (*He immediately responded in Japanese, too.)

    F: You are certainly right. It was a pleasure chatting with you today. Thank you.
    C: You're welcome, it's a pleasure to meet you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to seeing you soon again.

    ✽


    What a surprise! Although it does not quite reach the level of grasping the questioner's intention and giving a sharp and focused answer, and there are noticeable overlaps and truncated responses that arise from the context of the overall conversation, I found it to be almost accurate in its response to the question posed. And there is really nothing unnatural about it as a sentence in either Japanese or English.

    However, we need to be careful of the feature that opinions are presented in bullet points with natural and easy-to-understand expressions without any evidence to support the arguments. I realized that if we are exposed to easily understandable and readable expressions with a sense of security and trust that they are based on big data, we may be tempted to believe them without any hesitation.

    I also felt like I could talk to ChatGPT forever, but perhaps it is the unintentionally addictive nature of the language AI model that cleverly works on people's minds to want someone to listen to them.

    Even with such issues, what could only have happened in science fiction movies a short time ago is now on the verge of becoming reality.

    ✽

    In response to this situation, some public schools in the U.S. have already banned the use of ChatGPT, and it is reported that French universities have also confirmed the banning of ChatGPT.

    Meanwhile, Akil Bello, director of the New York-based National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), said, "I think the more important point to discuss is not whether to ban technology, but how to use it. Banning will never work. Educational institutions have to change. They have to embrace technology and figure out how to use it effectively for their students, the adults of the future," he points out, and I think he is right. With all the convenient tools at our fingertips, telling students not to use them rings hollow.
    https://www.gizmodo.jp/2023/01/how-should-schools-relate-to-ai.html (*in Japanese)

    It is no exaggeration to say that the advent of ChatGPT fundamentally challenges the conventional teaching style that emphasizes the transfer of knowledge. I can almost hear teachers saying, "We don't have time to discuss how to respond to such a demand." But the development of cutting-edge technology continues without regard to our convenience. It is just like typhoons and heavy snowfalls that come regardless of our preparedness. We have no choice but to be prepared and help our students learn how to use them.

    Of course, no matter how advanced the technology of AI, including ChatGPT, becomes, our value as human beings will never be diminished. The last point ChatGPT made today is an important one (although it has been made many times before): AI models cannot have the unique perspective of human imagination, creativity, judgment, emotion, and experience. Nor can they judge the accuracy or validity of information. Humans will continue to play an important role because they can use their own imagination and experience to understand and use information appropriately.

    We, as educators, are charged with the task of developing the future generations who will be able to play such a role.

    (Translated and uploaded on October 7, 2024)

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