Tech or Talent, Both Need to be Guided by Value Frameworks to Create a Better World

With the advent of ChatGPT, we are now entering a new age of learning and thinking. Technologies which have so far been seen as helpful tools for dissemination and accumulation of knowledge are now encroaching into our creative spaces, a space considered exclusive to human domain.

ChatGPT (GPT for Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is built on a large language model that has been trained to respond to a prompt with a detailed response. It interacts in a conversational manner. The dialogue format allows ChatGPT to respond to follow-up questions, admit mistakes and reject inappropriate requests. It is a deep learning-based autoregressive language model-meaning it can learn from its mistakes-that generates human-like text. 

The disruptive tool has engendered animated debates across the world on the power of machines and technology and their far-ranging possibilities and ramifications on business, industry, education, or for that matter, society. Yet, competing with machines is futile, in the sense that machines can learn a billion times faster, adapt pretty rapidly to the changing times and react in a split second.

Tech efficiency, in itself, not enough

While we can use ChatGPT as an aid to supercharge our efficiency, productivity and creativity, the possibilities of its misuse are real and vast. Let us consider some of the potential cases of mis-use of the app:

# It can generate malware code and then modify that code to make it tougher to detect or stop.

# It can aid phishing and scamming to a great extent by fixing broken languages, through which we usually spot phishing.

# It can act as a tool to create text about anything which is perfect for a student/researcher/writer, trying to cheat/plagiarize/hoodwink.

# It can fool recruiters/hiring managers by mastering essential phrases that may appeal to hirers. It may more likely get past the filters used by HR Software.

Surely, technology enhances efficiency with which different tasks can be performed, yielding many dividends, but such efficient tasks need not be morally correct. So, the moot point is, can efficiency, productivity, or creativity, bereft of morality, be termed desirable and build a better world?

Talent or Ingenuity, in itself, not enough

The same question is applicable and relevant in the matter of talent as well. In the recent past we witnessed how FTX, the world’s third largest crypto exchange, witnessed a catastrophic meltdown in its valuation from a peak of $32bn to zero in a span of few weeks. The rise and fall of the company’s co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, a poster boy of the crypto world and seen as a genius, tells a story which has important learnings for all of us. A key learning is that, though talent or ingenuity can erect an empire of fame and riches in short time, yet, devoid of moral and ethical moorings, it can wreak havoc in the long run.

Agreed, the creative mind can be a bit unruly. It may show quirkiness or eccentricities. All of these often find social acceptance too, as society pays high premium on IQ or talent. But it would be tragic if a genius slips on basic human values and ethics. Such moral lapses can also be devastating for the large followers and fans, who may look up to such a genius with awe and for inspiration.

Need for Value Frameworks

George Bernard Shaw once famously said, “The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor.” This honor can very well be earned by a genius through operating within a value framework of humility, patience, openness, team spirit, sense of sharing and compassion.

To build a better future, tech and talent both need to intertwine with ethics, and be guided by robust value frameworks.

Written by Ram Krishna Sinha.
Have you read?
World’s trendiest countries, 2023.
World’s Richest People (Top Billionaires, 2023).
Best Apps for Reading News for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
Music successful CEOs and C-level executives listen to.
Which are the healthiest countries in the world for 2023?
Ready to join the CEOWORLD magazine Executive Council– Find out if you are eligible to apply.