Akron Life June 2023

PAGES

FROM THE PUBLISHER

[ Publisher | Colin Baker | cbaker@bakermediagroup.com ]

Real Life

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic, but Akron Life is still created by real people.

work, reports, charts and graphs. At Akron Life , we are still writing our own stories and have our boots on the ground in the community. I asked ChatGPT if Akron Life magazine and ChatGPT could coexist, and here is what it said: “Yes, Akron Life magazine and ChatGPT can coexist. Akron Life magazine is a local publication that provides news and features specific to the Akron area, while ChatGPT is an AI language model that provides general information and answers to various questions. While both serve the purpose of providing information, they serve different functions and have different audiences. Akron Life magazine provides a more personalized and local experience for readers interested in news and events specific to Akron, while ChatGPT provides a more general and broad information resource. Furthermore, Akron Life magazine and ChatGPT can complement each other. Akron Life magazine can use AI technology like ChatGPT to improve its operations, such as by automating content creation or providing personalized content recom mendations to its readers. Meanwhile, ChatGPT can use Akron Life magazine as a source of information and inspiration for its responses to questions related to the Akron area. In short, Akron Life magazine and ChatGPT can coexist and even benefit each other through their respective strengths and capabilities.”

I have waited until this point to share my opinions on artificial intelligence and its effects on soci ety and impacts on the magazine industry and local media as a whole. I have been following this topic closely for a while and have tried to learn as much as I can about the trends and the industry. When the ChatGPT AI chatbot first made an appearance, it was November 2022. Since then, it seems like everyone has been talking about it, and lots of people are trying this free tool to see how it works. What most people don’t realize is that AI has been used all around us for many years. Google, Facebook and other big technol ogy companies have been building it into their businesses and systems for quite some time. Most people are familiar with Siri on their phones or Alexa in their homes. I had to disable Alexa because of how annoying it was. Most of the time, it seemed to only want to sell me things, asking if I wanted to buy coffee pods or diapers. Not long after ChatGPT came out, I started going down the rabbit hole of AI, watching videos on YouTube of all the com panies and what they were doing. It scared me to the point I couldn’t sleep, so I had to stop that. Instead, I have tried to look at the areas where it will change humanity for the better. I believe access to quality educa tion for everyone will be one great advance ment as well as better health care. I have heard people say that it won’t take your job away but will take away the parts of your job that you don’t like — mundane

I still think it’s pretty scary, but I believe in real people doing real work. There will always be bots on the internet, but at Akron Life, we will always call and meet real peo ple and discover new restaurants and things to do in the area. Until ChatGPT can sit in a restaurant and eat a steak and drink from a local brewery, I think we are safe.

[ Publisher Colin Baker is a retired racing driver and gearhead. ] Comments? Email them to Kelly Petryszyn [kpetryszyn@bakermediagroup.com].

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JUNE 2023 | akronlife.com