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Author: I’m here today with Mark Weithorn, founder and CEO of DPI Showcase Websites. Mark, you recently attended a Realtors’ conference where you saw a presentation on ChatGPT. Tell me about what you observed.
Mark Weithorn: Yes, I recently attended a Realtors’ conference in Orlando where one of the presenters taught an hour-long class on how to use AI. As if at a magic show, the presenter asked for a volunteer from the audience. The idea was to show her how easy it is to write a description for a realtor. Frankly, it wasn’t that easy at all.
First, the volunteer typed into ChatGPT, “Write a 100-word description for (realtor name), a real estate agent in Florida.” Then, like pulling teeth, the teacher extracted five sentences with the agent’s characteristics, e.g., “likes to sell single-family homes, is married to a veteran, works with military families.” It took more than five minutes to extract. Granted, ChatGPT created a nice agent brief, but I doubt the volunteer would have been able to complete the task without the instructor’s assistance.
Author: It doesn’t sound like the smoothest process or very user friendly
Mark: No, in reality, many of the people I talk to—and I talk to many—either don’t know how to access ChatGPT or Bard, and if they did, they wouldn’t know what to ask. Perhaps there is a learning curve for becoming familiar with this new tool and its language, or perhaps this is a sophisticated tool meant for programmers and not the average non-tech user. This brings me back to the early 1990s, when the Internet was first made available. It was novel, but the average person didn’t know what to do with it. What do you type in? Where do you go? It wasn’t until around 1993, when AOL started its mass distribution by mailing CDs to everyone that we started to feel a purpose for being online: communication. We were now able to send emails to our friends. It also allowed us to get online, but once again, there weren’t many websites to go to. Interestingly enough, one of the first professions to get up to speed was porn. Sex does sell.
I recently read an article in The New York Times about Alphabet’s progress in creating an AI robot. It explained how programmers use Bard to write code for the robot’s operating system. That is some heavy, next-level programming that probably a handful of people know how to do, but how does it help the average person?
Author: So in your view, what needs to happen for ChatGPT to go mainstream?
Mark: There are many issues AI programs need to work out before they become mainstream. First, a host of copyright laws need to be worked out. Just like today, you can’t copy an image from Google Images and use it on your website; you’ll get sued for stealing intellectual property. Do you remember Napster with its online music sharing? Once again, they were shut down for copyright infringement. Then there is the fundamental question: “ChatGPT is cute and novel, but why do I need it? Who am I going to deep-fake?”
When I asked ChatGPT, “What is the average price of a single-family home in my ZIP code?” It replied that it didn’t have recent statistics. I asked Bard the same question and was given an answer that was one-fifth of what it should have been. Then I asked ChatGPT for the recipe of a sponge cake, one of my favorite things to eat growing up. It instantly gave me a recipe, but couldn’t I have used Google or the NYT cooking app for that?
Author: Got it, and if it does go mainstream, should people be worried about getting replaced by AI?
Mark: A few months ago, I was in Los Angeles, preparing to speak at Tech Week LA about AI. I was talking to an art director who created sophisticated artwork for the movie industry. Needless to say, she was nervous about being replaced by a robot. It was the two-ton elephant in the room. Well, back in Orlando, the AI instructor started to show the room how to use AI to create images using Canva. Yes, it was novel, but it was amateurish and not ready for prime-time. It reminded me of the clip art we used to have many years ago.
Around 20 years ago, I was a partner in an ad agency that did product development. We would hire photographers and models to take professional photos of the products. Then, digital photography emerged, so some companies got an inexpensive camera and some lights and set up a table in the back room. Yes, it showed the product accurately, but try publishing that in Vogue or GQ. Yes, there are some that will cheap out by using AI tools to generate a photo, but the true professional will rely on professional creatives.
Author: So what’s the best way for the average person to take advantage of AI currently?
Mark: Our company, DPI Showcase Websites, has started to work on apps and plug-ins that will be AI-driven but perform specific tasks relevant to everyday life. You can equate this to the apps on your smartphone. Each app serves a specific function. Your Uber app lets you call a ride; your American Airlines app lets you book and manage your travel. These specific tasks that fit the needs of many, and likewise, our goal is to bridge the gap between the non-tech person and AI tools.
Yes, ChatGPT and Bard will be here for a long time. Yes, they are sophisticated programs that will revolutionize how we live our lives, but not just yet.
Author: That sounds awesome, Mark. It’s clear there are still challenges but also promising potential for AI, especially with your company. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful perspective on ChatGPT and AI!
Mark: Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the emerging role of AI.
