The Art of Automation
ChatGPT is already quite useful at work. If you need to write short texts like emails, sick leave notes, or topic reports, you can ask the software and quickly receive a suitable response. That means having a text that requires minimal effort on your part.
However, the technology still has its limitations. If you want ChatGPT to take on the role of a virtual assistant, creating lists, chatting with customers, and answering emails independently, it requires an upgrade. This is where Auto-GPT comes in, which could potentially make the AI even more powerful in the long run.
What's it all about? Robotspaceship will explain!
What is Auto-GPT?
The software was programmed by the company Significant Gravitas in collaboration with some freelancers. They have released Auto-GPT for free on the Github platform.
Auto-GPT is based on the foundational software ChatGPT but, unlike ChatGPT, it already has seamless access to the internet. While ChatGPT can only retrieve information from its own databases, Auto-GPT can access websites in real-time.
You provide Auto-GPT with a to-do list, and the AI converts it into instructions for itself, provides solutions, optimizes them, and executes them.
Auto-GPT can control the entire computer, using utilities, and can even download files.
So, what's the catch? Currently, using Auto-GPT requires a certain level of programming knowledge. The program doesn't have a proper user interface; instead, it operates based on the computer's console. Yes, that thing where every input looks like an attempt to hack into the Matrix. As a result, the installation and all inputs are significantly more complicated than with other applications.
Auto-GPT was developed by nerds for nerds!
To use it, you also need access to a personalized OpenAI ChatGPT 4 API key, which means having a business access to the software to use it on your desktop. However, every output also comes with a cost.
Currently, it still requires many attempts and iterations to perform simpler instructions. So, the project is still in its early stages and makes mistakes. If you want to test it, you should bring along a fair amount of patience. Of course, there's also a possibility that Auto-GPT could unintentionally download malware.
In general, it is advisable not to install the program on a device with important data, let alone on a work computer. The AI could do all sorts of things with the data, so it's wise to install it only on a "digital machine," i.e., an artificial computer within a physical PC.
Additionally, be cautious about who you grant access to your ChatGPT. Commercial use incurs costs for each output, and anyone who has access could potentially incur significant expenses.
While Auto-GPT has many anonymous developers, the programming code is freely readable, making it fairly secure. If someone were to program something that could compromise your access, it would be noticed by everyone else.
What does the future hold?
If Auto-GPT becomes capable of effectively executing complex to-do lists in the future, it could gradually eliminate or at least shrink many job roles.
However, in our opinion, there is currently no immediate danger. The AI is not flawless, and there still needs to be humans who can review its work. It cannot take over everything at this point; it can only provide support. Additionally, most bosses would not currently give a AI full access to their emails, let alone trust it to respond to them.
Furthermore, a human component is missing in an AI, which creates added value, particularly in meetings and discussions. Moreover, an AI cannot interpret a message and therefore does not know its importance. Thus, it cannot replace a human in these aspects.
All in all, the future can be seen in Auto-GPT. However, the technology is still in its early stages. Indeed, the software could make some jobs redundant in the future, but by then, those jobs will likely have enough time to reposition themselves to work with the AI instead of against it.
