After ChatGPT was launched, I was asked if I believed it represented a tipping point for artificial intelligence (AI). We are surrounded by hype these days and it is easy to dismiss this as another hype cycle. As I considered my response, I focused first on mindset. The early stage of a tipping point starts with a change in how we perceive the world. Major historical tipping points had this in common – the world as we personally perceived it looked the same day-to-day. Then something happens that causes us to question that world. These mindset shifts are one indicator of a tipping point. A shift in mindsets was therefore the first criteria I assessed in answering the question. Has ChatGPT made AI more real to the casual observer?

Stories about where AI may take us may raise eyebrows, but do they change someone’s own beliefs? Over drinks with friends, I can describe the future of AI, but I can’t make them internalize it – or believe it. ChatGPT makes the stories real, providing tangible evidence of what is possible. I believe it has the potential to change mindsets. The second piece of my response on tipping point has to do with accelerants. Will ChatGPT serve as an innovation accelerant? The arms race around large language models is on. Billions are now pouring into the space. Everyone will seek to embed the capability into new and existing offerings. General Motors recent announcement is just the tip of the iceberg. The world can’t stop talking about it (which made me hesitant to write this post). Some recent examples:

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Microsoft Plans To Use AI To Solve A Huge Pain Point For Doctors

Bill Gates predicts A.I. will change the world

Revolutionizing Retail: How ChatGPT Is Changing The Shopping Experience

OpenAI Research Says 80% of U.S. Workers’ Jobs Will Be Impacted by GPT

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says AI will reshape society, acknowledges risks: ‘A little bit scared of this’

ChatGPT successor GPT-4 launches this week with exciting new features

How to Leverage ChatGPT to Unlock New Levels of Innovation

ChatGPT is the new ‘Intel Inside’

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Hype or tipping point? Only time will tell.