By Daria Parfenova
“Dealing with AI” – this title popped up on my screen when I was preparing for the spring semester. Recently all the Illinois State University faculty members and instructors received an email from the ISU administration about how to manage AI-generated content in the classroom. The advancement of AI technology has created a new frontier in natural language processing. One of the most noteworthy developments in this area is ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI that has captured the attention of both experts and the general public. With its ability to engage in human-like conversations, ChatGPT has become the subject of significant media coverage and is rapidly increasing in usage. However, this newfound popularity also raises concerns about the impact of ChatGPT on society, education, and the job market. In this article, I tracked who discusses ChatGPT and how it is discussed in digital media.
Talkwalker quick search identified 2.4 million results related to the keyword “chatGPT”. Current engagement in the topic is 15.5 million, while potential reach is estimated to be about 84 trillion, showing growing discussions around this technology. Overall, ChatGPT media coverage represents a continuous upward trend with peaks.
Significant traffic comes from Twitter (78.2%) and forums (12.7%) that provide a fast exchange of information. The most engagement is received by TikTok content, which brings popularity to ChatGPT among the general public. About half of the message creators are 25-34 years old (49%), followed by 18-24 (27.8%). In the distribution of authors’ gender, the percentage of males (73.6%) overcomes female numbers (26.4%). One possible explanation is that the ChatGPT pattern follows gender representation of the tech industry, as IT professionals became early adopters of this technology. Moreover, insights about the top occupations of content creators signal what groups are influenced the most and are more vocal about their opinions. These are entrepreneurs, managers and IT professionals, authors/writers, teachers, and students.
Looking at the thematic cloud in more detail, I distinguished four major topics users refer to:
- First, a prominent part of media messages is discussion around the technical side of ChatGPT (e.g., keywords such as ‘openai’, ‘intelligence’, ‘machine’, ‘data’). People are interested in understanding the mechanics behind the technology and how it works, including topics such as its training data, language processing capabilities, and ethical considerations.
- The second main topic is the application of ChatGPT (e.g., ‘search’, ‘write’, ‘start’, ‘understanding’, ‘application’ keywords). Users actively share tips and tricks about writing effective prompts and using this technology for different tasks.
- The third group of messages is business-oriented (e.g., ‘dollar’, ‘business’, ‘startup’ keywords). The authors talk about deals on the tech market, ChatGPT competitors, and who will purchase it. In addition, some people start monetizing their deep knowledge of ChatGPT, and their posts receive active engagement, showing high demand for this guideline.
- The fourth topic is ChatGPT concerns (e.g., ‘future’, ‘students’, ‘power’, ‘bad’ keywords). People are worried about the potential impact of ChatGPT on various aspects of society, such as employment and education. Some fear that the advanced language capabilities of ChatGPT and similar AI systems could automate jobs that humans previously performed. Additionally, there are worries about the possibility of biased or malicious AI models spreading false information and misinformation.
Regarding communication sentiment, the results show 34.3% of positive messages and 16.1% of negative ones. The positive audience feedback signals excitement about this new technology, while the messages labeled “negative” should be divided into two thematic groups. In the first group, authors use the language of fear, targeting ChatGPT technology.
At the same time, the second group of content with negative sentiment does not convey negative meaning directed towards ChatGPT itself but downplays other platforms, showing ChatGPT’s advantage, or just contains jokes.
In conclusion, ChatGPT is a topic of ongoing discussion on the Internet, reflecting the growing impact and importance of AI technology in our lives. People are both fascinated by the technological aspects of ChatGPT and concerned about its potential impact, covering topics such as its training data, ethical considerations, and societal impact. This discussion highlights the need for continued engagement and conversation around AI technology. The SMACC will keep monitoring this trend and report back on major changes.