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Home ›› Artificial Intelligence ›› 3 Ways ChatGPT is a Lot Like Galaxy Quest

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3 Ways ChatGPT is a Lot Like Galaxy Quest

by Robb Wilson
6 min read
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Discover the potential and pitfalls of generative AI against a surprising backdrop: Galaxy Quest.

Some of my early work with voice technology was as an assistant ADR editor on the film Galaxy Quest (1999). ADR stands for automated dialogue replacement, which is essentially recording additional voiceovers during post production. Working on the film was a high-note as I transitioned out of Hollywood and into the burgeoning field of experience design. Still, despite its well-deserved cult following, I don’t think about Galaxy Quest all that often. That changed when ChatGPT revealed to the world at large just how powerful a conversational interface can be.

I’ve been working with conversational AI for more than 20 years. In many ways, ChatGPT is something I’ve been waiting for a long time. It’s delivered a light-bulb moment where people everywhere are realizing how easy it can be to interact with machines using a conversational interface. This really is an inflection point in our relationship with technology. (Chat GPT amassed over a million users in its first five days, and it’s only grown from there). Why not take a moment to learn a few lessons about how to properly leverage generative AI from a screwball sci-fi classic.

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post authorRobb Wilson

Robb Wilson

Robb Wilson is the CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai, a leading conversational AI platform powering over 1 billion conversations per year. He also co-authored The Wall Street Journal bestselling business book, Age of Invisible Machines. An experience design pioneer with over 20 years of experience working with artificial intelligence, Robb lives with his family in Berkeley, Calif.

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Ideas In Brief
  • In the article, the author draws a parallel between ChatGPT and elements from the iconic film Galaxy Quest, finding remarkable similarities.
    • Just like the aliens in Galaxy Quest, GPT has learned from a massive knowledge base, but it doesn’t really know anything.
    • GPT has been exposed to some of the same biases that the film skewers. It will require a lot of dedicated effort by designers and users to strip the bias out of LLMs.
    • In the film, aliens need humans’ help. Despite their expertise in creating technical marvels, they lack the creative abilities needed to use them. The same holds true for AI: it needs humans to guide it and tell it what to do.

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