Beyond a Dichotomy: Navigating the Nuances of ChatGPT

An 18-year-old boy nervously made his way to Father Busa's office, an Italian Jesuit priest and Università Cattolica Professor. His dream of studying Classics weighed heavy on his mind, as his parents wished for him to study medicine. They had sent him there that day with the hope that he would be talked into changing his mind. But Father Busa's words were unexpected. He listened patiently to the young man's aspirations and then, instead of trying to sway him, encouraged him to follow his passion.

The boy's relief was beyond comparison, but just as the young man was about to leave, Father Busa stopped him with a final request. "Buy a computer," he said, "and learn how to use it to analyze text."

Now looking back, we can safely say that Father Roberto Busa was one of the pioneers of using computers for linguistic and literary analysis. A man far ahead of his time. And sitting in front of us now is the young boy who grew up to dedicate his entire career to the breath of what Busa had told him over three decades ago. Professor Marco Carlo Passarotti is not only a full professor but the Programme Director of the new and innovative MSc in Linguistic Computing, at Università Cattolica.

And ChatGPT is a clear example of what this kind of interdisciplinary expertise can bring forth. As scary as it might be for many, sitting in front of our screens, looking at the sentences quickly taking shape, word by word, as they fill up the text box. Knowing that it is all being constructed by a chatbot. “You can ask it to write anything. An email, a story, a poem - you name it. You can even ask it to adopt a specific writing style.” Passarotti exclaims, but he also emphasizes that it does not come without its weaknesses.

 He highlights specifically two of these weaknesses: reliability and biases. While the pitfall encourages us to always fact-check the answers, the latter reminds us of the fact the tool has learned from a world that indeed already contains biases - such as gender biases. It is therefore to be expected, and crucial to pay attention to, as these sorts of nuances might be reflected in the answers produced.

However, what Professor Passarotti especially highlights regarding its use. “What is most important is to understand how the tool works, to be aware of its limits. For every tool, you can use it in a bad or good way. Just take the internet as an example."

And this might just be the key point: ChatGPT is no more and no less than that: a tool. And whilst a tool can be used in a good or bad way, there is no inherent property that allows for the placement into a dichotomous categorization - losing all its shades of grey or, perhaps, even its colors. Framed in this sense, it becomes clear that our anxious question “is it positive or negative?” is all too narrow.

Because even though the exact role of ChatGPT is yet to be determined, at least one thing seems certain as Professor Passarotti smiles and says, "It is a new colleague, and it is here to stay.” Some may even be surprised when they realize the many ways we are already utilizing linguistic computing in our everyday lives.

As we navigate an unwavering paradigm shift, by approaching new technologies with a keen sense of critical thinking and responsibility: What are its strengths? What are its weaknesses? Curiosity can lead the way in how we choose to integrate it into our everyday lives and on our campuses. Just as we are constantly learning the importance of formulating the right questions, before trying to find any answers.