CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (10 MIN) 

The machine is learning 

For decades, we have wondered if an AI in the style of Marvel’s J.A.R.V.I.S. could actually become a reality. Could a computer truly learn, process, and produce like a human? Today, some people think that day is here, with the advent of ChatGPT: a machine that can pass parts of the bar exam and write on nearly any topic in the world. 

In Law & Liberty, John O. McGinnis discusses this new advanced chatbot and what it means for the future of education and politics. He focuses his inquiry on a simple question: can humans add any value to a hyperintelligent AI? If not, McGinnis says, we could quickly become obsolete. 

Fortunately, McGinnis does think such value exists. He argues that no machine could ever replace human morality and conscience. The cost-benefit analysis that computers can do, McGinnis says, doesn’t approximate the moral weight of decision making. He urges readers to focus on developing that moral fiber as an irreplaceable asset, no matter what the future holds. 

Read McGinnis’s article here. 

CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (6 MIN) 

Writer v. robot 

One writer has already put the concerns about ChatGPT’s potential to replace humans to the test. Peter Van Buren, for The American Conservative, challenged the chatbot to replicate a column he wrote criticizing four widely-held ideas about global affairs. The results were mixed, but they indicated much about the strengths and weaknesses of the new machine. 

The writing overall, Van Buren notes, was technically flawless. There were no typos or awkward turns of phrase that would indicate artificial creation. The bot also stayed on topic most of the time, although nuances were tougher to grasp.  

However, Van Buren thinks the bot could not simulate the sarcastic and critiquing style that he had in his original column. Instead, ChatGPT was very noncommittal, fearing to hold too strongly to any particular viewpoint. Opinion writers, Van Buren says, are probably safe. 

But there is a concern. In its first excerpt, the bot talked about the dangers of “misinformation and propaganda.” Van Buren described it as “sounding like a Democratic Party talking point.” Will this bias be an issue as we move further forward in this digital age? 

Discover Van Buren’s work… and ChatGPT’s work… right here. 

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CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (6 MIN) 

Entering the ring

So how should conservatives respond to the ever-advancing march of new technology? Many have expressed concerns about its effect on human thriving and our emotional and spiritual development. Others, however, want to embrace technological development and urge us to try and gain an advantage in the field. 

For our Intercollegiate Review archive, Rob Tracinski argues from the latter position. Tracinski believes that in order to stop the constant flow of Silicon Valley money to progressive causes, conservatives must start not only accepting but encouraging rapid technological growth.    

“Free markets, free enterprise, and capitalism are the real forces of progress, while it is the left that keeps coming up with barriers to economic growth and innovation,” Tracinski writes. 

He believes that the American spirit of ingenuity and enterprise is captured in the invention of new ideas that will make our lives easier and more productive. Without conservative support for this development, Tracinski believes, the cutting edge will invariably turn left.   

Read Tracinski’s argument for yourself right here. 

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