Calling BS on ChatGPT: Reflections on AI as a Communication Source
S. Shyam Sundar, Mengqi Liao
Abstract
The arrival of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) writers has captured the popular imagination, but also raised grave concerns. What are the implications of the widespread deployment of such content generation technologies? How should we, as communication scholars, think about and study AI writing tools? We discuss these questions by reflecting on research highlighting the psychological effects of AI as a source of communication. We identify key future research directions, including a redefinition of concepts like creativity, addressing major weaknesses of AI writers, and motivating design of better AI tools with an eye toward reclaiming human agency in the post-ChatGPT era.
Topics & Concepts
Agency (philosophy)CreativitySoftware deploymentKey (lock)Computer scienceSociologyCognitive sciencePsychologyEpistemologySocial psychologySocial scienceComputer securityPhilosophyOperating systemArtificial Intelligence in Healthcare and EducationEthics and Social Impacts of AIAI in Service Interactions