GPT-4o Isn't Going to Kill Teaching or Customer Service, Experts Say

On May 13, OpenAI unveiled GPT-4o, showcasing its advanced speech and emotion detection, stirring debates on AI's impact on jobs.

OpenAI's GPT-4o Uses Real-Time Cameras, Raising Concerns About Job Security in Various Sectors

It's known as GPT-4o and can "see" through real-time cameras. That means it can communicate with users on a more intimate level than has previously been seen in Big Tech.

According to Business Insider, a demonstration of the technology has gone viral online, sparking doomsday predictions about job prospects in teaching, customer service, and translation.

It's easy to see why it's causing such a stir: As demonstrated on May 13, the assistant can recognize sarcasm and speak with emotion, resulting in an intellectual persona like the advanced Scarlett Johansson-voiced AI in the 2013 film "Her."

However, while this version of ChatGPT appears to be significantly more accessible and powerful than its competitors, AI specialists told Business Insider that it is unlikely to eliminate professions anytime soon.

They also emphasized that most consumers have responded to a tech demo, which is typically highly personalized and may not accurately reflect the product's full capabilities.

They told BI that even if OpenAI's new ChatGPT is as powerful as stated, positions in these domains are more likely to be adjusted while professions remain unchanged.

OpenAI's GPT-4o Demo Highlights AI Advancements in Personal Assistance, Translation, and Education Services

Clips from the May 13 demo make ChatGPT a significant step forward for artificial intelligence and its applications in the real world.

One X user stated that he may use it as a personal assistant, making phone calls on his behalf. OpenAI also demonstrated new use cases, such as translation and education services, to potential adopters.

The business shared a demo video of a group of OpenAI employees, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, asking the assistant for assistance with a math problem.

The assistant did not solve the algebra equation. Instead, it guided speakers through each stage of the problem in real-time, such as "Get all the terms with X on one side and the constants on the other side."

Throughout, it responded to feedback and follow-ups when presenters spoke out. Another video of OpenAI's demo was shared by a tech writer who added, "RIP translators."

In the video, ChatGPT appeared to translate between Murati, who spoke in Italian, and an OpenAI staffer speaking in English.

"When Siri and Alexa were first launched, they did cause concern about job security in similar areas," said Daan van Rossum, the founder of FlexOS, a Singapore-based, work-focused media company. "None of those AIs were even close to human-like. ChatGPT4-o changes all of that. The difference can't be understated."

According to van Rossum, the new video camera and voice functionalities greatly enhance ChatGPT's potential in jobs such as customer assistance.

Companies and industries are already preparing for the AI disruption. In January, language learning startup Duolingo cut 10% of its contract positions, claiming that generative AI will be utilized to create more material

Experts Assert ChatGPT's Personal Touch Won't Replace Teaching, Translation, or Customer Service Roles

According to Leslie Teo, senior director of AI products at AI Singapore, the country's national AI program, ChatGPT's added personal touch is unlikely to destroy vocations like teaching, translation, and customer assistance.

That's precisely because these professions require a personal touch, he explained.

"There's something about human empathy," Teo added, emphasizing that teachers, unlike AI, have experienced the learning process and understand how humans struggle. "Those are very powerful things."

Teo believes that humans working in education, translation, or customer service are more likely to use AI to simplify their jobs rather than be replaced by technology.

"A good customer service agent exudes empathy and understanding, something that a machine cannot do," he stated.

Ben Leong, a computer science professor at the National University of Singapore, believes drawing judgments based on a demo needs to be done earlier. He expects interpreters' businesses to be significantly impacted.

"AI is really good for well-defined problems. Translation is a very well-defined problem," he stated.

However, according to Leong, ChatGPT would need help taking over customer assistance, training, and bargaining.

"If someone negotiates a bad deal for you, who is responsible? Are you liable? Can AI be your legal representative?" said the man.

According to Simon Lucey, head of the University of Adelaide's Australian Institute for Machine Learning, ChatGPT continues to produce errors when multiplying numbers with three or more digits, even in newer versions.

"So at the moment, it's a helper. At the end of the day, if you want to get something meaningful or do something reliably, you still need to get a human to cast desire over what it's producing," said Lucey.

Some individuals may lose employment in the coming years, but Lucey believes they have reason to be cheerful.

"In the 1980s, when Microsoft released Excel, people were petrified and said it would put all of these accountants out of a job. We've got more accountants now than in the 1980s," he stated.

Teo agreed. "Many roles will be replaced by AI, but that doesn't mean jobs. Our jobs are bundles of roles," he said.

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