Australian Lawmaker Says AI Could Cause "Mass Destruction" In Speech Written By ChatGPT

Ever since ChatGPT, a new dialogue-based chatbot, debuted in November, it has been the topic of every conversation on the internet for its chatty mastery. People have been asking different things to the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot in a playful and light manner to test the capabilities and power of the tool. 

Now, Australia's federal Labor MP Julian Hill has used what is believed to be the first Australian parliamentary speech part-written by ChatGPT to warn that AI could be harnessed for "mass destruction". According to The Guardian, on Monday, the lawmaker called for a white paper or a probe to assess all the "risks and benefits" of AI, which he argued could result in students cheating, disinformation, and uncontrollable military applications, among other challenges. 

Mr Hill used ChatGPT prompts including "please summarise recent media reports about students using artificial intelligence in Australia to cheat and explain why teachers are worried about this" and "explain in 2 minutes the risks and benefits to Australia from artificial general intelligence" to compose sections of the speech.

"AI technology, such as smart software that can write essays and generate answers, is becoming more accessible to students, allowing them to complete assignments and tests without actually understanding the material causing concern for teachers, who are worried about the impact on the integrity of the education system," Mr Hill told the House of Representatives. 

Also Read | Man Asks ChatGPT How To Smuggle Drugs Into Europe, Bot Lists Suggestions

Further, as per the outlet, the lawmakers warned that students could be "effectively bypassing the educational process and gaining an unfair advantage" while teachers are unable to "identify and address cheating" - before revealing "I have to admit I didn't write that". 

"In fact, no human wrote that. The AI large language model ChatGPT wrote that," he said. 

Mr Hill also cautioned about the potential for job loss, claiming that artificial general intelligence "could perpetuate existing biases and discrimination" and "could be used for malicious purposes, such as cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns". 

Mr Hill insisted that AI has the potential to "transform warfare as we know it," with "serious" consequences for national security. He argued that if artificial general intelligence "surpasses human intelligence, it could pose a threat to our military, potentially rendering our current defensive capabilities obsolete". 

Also Read | Influencer Andrew Tate To Donate $100 Million To Protect Men From...

The lawmaker called for a "concerted, serious, urgent policy think" starting in 2023, such as a white paper, an inquiry, a permanent commission, an international collaboration or some combination of those. But he also praised AI's "potential to revolutionize many industries, including healthcare, transportation and finance by increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving decision-making".