Sand Hill's Chief Investment Officer, Brenda Vingiello, CFA, joins Jenny Harrington on “Halftime Report” to go over their most recent portfolio moves. Brenda's commentary begins
How I Learned to Love the Bot
Published Date : April 25, 2023
April 25, 2023
For those new to the relatively recent and rather profound paradigm shift in internet search, the next generation of chatbots can realistically simulate human conversation by mining huge samples of texts and images available on the internet. And these computer programs—including Open AI’s Chat GPT, Microsoft’s Bing AI, and Google’s Bard, among others—can convincingly answer questions in a completely conversational manner. While still in its early days, this technology is rapidly evolving and will eventually transform content creation, customer service, and many other aspects of our personal and professional lives.
Unlike early voice-activated chatbots that many people are familiar and comfortable with—like Siri or Alexa—these newer machine-learning chatbots, also known as artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, are far more sophisticated. They allow users to ask advanced, open-ended questions and in return they provide very conventional and thorough responses. Additionally, this generation of technology learns from conversations and improves upon its responses over time by utilizing learning algorithms that quickly process large volumes of information, identify patterns, and structure comparative arguments. They can even create artistic outcomes in very personalized ways.
As these systems become more sophisticated and better able to understand natural language, they will increasingly automate tasks like customer service and many kinds of common support. They will also improve our search outcomes, help interpret that output, and help organizations make more informed decisions. For example, in education, AI technologies are improving personalized learning experiences for students and helping to create rough drafts for writing assignments. For better or worse, these non-human entities can now produce essays on almost any topic at a moment’s notice, forever changing the landscape of term paper assignments—at least at this point, in middle and high school levels.
On that note, it is important to acknowledge that the use of AI technology is not without its challenges and risks. One key concern is that it raises many ethical and social issues, from the obvious temptation of students to shortcut their schoolwork to the risk that these chatbots could be used to spread disinformation or manipulate public opinion. Other issues include the potential for bias and discrimination in their output as AI systems are only as good as the data that they can mine. And finally, there is the potential for job displacement from content creation to customer service, and surely much more in due course.
But it is a fascinating innovation, and richly rewarding, too. After obsessing over this new technology for the past few months, I can certainly attest that its songwriting and poetry skills on any number of random topics are already superior to my own—and it is highly capable of writing coherent first drafts. For instance, this article’s origins started from my relatively simple AI chat prompt, “How will Chat GPT impact the world in 550 words?” which immediately cut my own task of writing this article by a third.
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is the next technological revolution, and while some aspects of this innovation are unnerving, there is no going back. But AI can’t do everything. It isn’t sentient and it isn’t going to be particularly valuable for high human-touch interactions (at least not anytime soon). But figuring out how AI can be harnessed and productively used by talented people to improve their outcomes—as well as elevate the joy in their work—will help us all deliver deeper and fuller experiences in the years ahead.
Articles and Commentary
Information provided in written articles are for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. There is a risk of loss from investments in securities, including the risk of loss of principal. The information contained herein reflects Sand Hill Global Advisors' (“SHGA”) views as of the date of publication. Such views are subject to change at any time without notice due to changes in market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. SHGA does not provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that any material herein concerns tax or legal matters, such information is not intended to be solely relied upon nor used for the purpose of making tax and/or legal decisions without first seeking independent advice from a tax and/or legal professional. SHGA has obtained the information provided herein from various third party sources believed to be reliable but such information is not guaranteed. Certain links in this site connect to other websites maintained by third parties over whom SHGA has no control. SHGA makes no representations as to the accuracy or any other aspect of information contained in other Web Sites. Any forward looking statements or forecasts are based on assumptions and actual results are expected to vary from any such statements or forecasts. No reliance should be placed on any such statements or forecasts when making any investment decision. SHGA is not responsible for the consequences of any decisions or actions taken as a result of information provided in this presentation and does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information. No part of this material may be (i) copied, photocopied, or duplicated in any form, by any means, or (ii) redistributed without the prior written consent of SHGA.
Video Presentations
All video presentations discuss certain investment products and/or securities and are being provided for informational purposes only, and should not be considered, and is not, investment, financial planning, tax or legal advice; nor is it a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Investing in securities involves varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that any specific investment will be profitable or suitable for a particular client’s financial situation or risk tolerance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Individual performance results will vary. The opinions expressed in the video reflect Sand Hill Global Advisor’s (“SHGA”) or Brenda Vingiello’s (as applicable) views as of the date of the video. Such views are subject to change at any point without notice. Any comments, opinions, or recommendations made by any host or other guest not affiliated with SHGA in this video do not necessarily reflect the views of SHGA, and non-SHGA persons appearing in this video do not fall under the supervisory purview of SHGA. You should not treat any opinion expressed by SHGA or Ms. Vingiello as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of general opinion. Nothing presented herein is or is intended to constitute investment advice, and no investment decision should be made based solely on any information provided on this video. There is a risk of loss from an investment in securities, including the risk of loss of principal. Neither SHGA nor Ms. Vingiello guarantees any specific outcome or profit. Any forward-looking statements or forecasts contained in the video are based on assumptions and actual results may vary from any such statements or forecasts. SHGA or one of its employees may have a position in the securities discussed and may purchase or sell such securities from time to time. Some of the information in this video has been obtained from third party sources. While SHGA believes such third-party information is reliable, SHGA does not guarantee its accuracy, timeliness or completeness. SHGA encourages you to consult with a professional financial advisor prior to making any investment decision.
Other Posts By This Author
- – A New Year’s Toast to the Silicon Valley Entrepreneur
- – Thank You for Your Partnership
- – The Coming Deglobalization
- – What’s Your Special Purpose?
Related Posts
Recent Posts
