For anybody who would actually read this. You may have to know that this whole page is translated by ChatGPT. I only present it as an example template for bilingual posts. So, if you felt something wrong, I am so sorry about that.

Introduction

It’s been almost a year since I left my job and started exploring artificial intelligence and AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content). In my view, the emergence of ChatGPT is indeed epoch-making. It has lowered the barrier to using artificial intelligence and made it more widespread. However, I firmly believe that AI or AIGC is not as powerful as most marketing claims suggest.

Today, with no internet at home, I decided to write my first blog post from a very unprofessional perspective. I’ll talk about my views on current artificial intelligence, or AIGC. Please note the emphasis on very unprofessional; for more on my lack of expertise, see the “About Me” section in the top right corner. This blog post is simply to share my views and some practical experiences.

GAI

Generative AI refers to a class of artificial intelligence algorithms that generate new outputs based on trained data. Unlike traditional AI systems aimed at identifying patterns and making predictions, generative AI creates new content in forms like images, texts, and audio. Source

Currently, when we talk about AI, we’re actually referring to Generative Artificial Intelligence, or GAI. GAI is a general-purpose AI that generates content from a database based on large data training, as opposed to traditional AI, which has more specific tasks. However, the reason I tagged this article “AI is not strong” is not just because I found that advanced use of GAI involves writing code, but also because using GAI well demands considerable knowledge and skills from the user, not just in computing, but also in understanding and mastering a specific field.

Interaction with Graphical Interface

The basic operation of GAI can be done mostly through a graphical user interface. Popular tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and domestic ones like Wenxin Yiyi don’t require command line usage. Thus, GAI is much more accessible than traditional AI, giving us ordinary people the opportunity to use artificial intelligence.

Advanced Operations

However, graphical interfaces are generally limited to basic operations. Advanced use of tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion requires command line usage and coding.

Professional Knowledge and Its Impact on GAI

I intended to quote some of my conversations with ChatGPT here, but I accidentally deleted all the dialogues while testing a new plugin a few days ago. So I’ll try to describe it in words. Additionally, ChatGPT’s Chinese interaction and understanding capabilities were significantly improved only after the update in November 2023. Therefore, many interactions mentioned in this article are based on English.

OpenAI - ChatGPT - 3.5 based

Start: When ChatGPT just became popular, I was in a low period. Curious about this tool that interacts in natural language and supposedly trained on data from the entire internet, I wondered if it could serve as a psychotherapist to help me out.

Continue: Speaking directly to ChatGPT about my problems yielded purely motivational responses, lacking in professionalism. Regenerating responses ten times, about eight were motivational, with only two slightly professional.

Turn: This was a big difference from what I had heard, so I started researching and learned about writing prompts. So, I tried:

You will act like a psychologist. I am feeling frustrated recently.

You will act like a psychological counsellor. I am feeling frustrated recently.

You will act like a mental health advisor. I am feeling frustrated recently.

The professionalism improved a lot, really professional. BUT it turned into a popular science person, giving me a lot of professional knowledge I almost forgot, some of which I had to look up in books to verify.

Combine: Okay, then continue iterating:

I need you to act like a psychologist, specializing in mental health advice. You should use your knowledge of cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation techniques, mindfulness practices, and other therapeutic methods in order to create strategies to help an individual looking for guidance and advice on managing their emotions, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.And I am feeling frustrated recently.

This response was very professional and targeted. But it was only correct, not to mention good. Because my description was too simple, and venting itself is an important part of the counseling process. So, keep iterating:

I need you to act like a psychologist, specializing in mental health advice. You should use your knowledge of cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation techniques, mindfulness practices, and other therapeutic methods in order to create strategies to help an individual looking for guidance and advice on managing their emotions, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues. You should ask as many questions as necessary to gather information for developing the treatment plan in order to develop strategies and plans that the individual can use to improve their overall wellbeing. Interact with the user as many times as possible to gather the necessary information before giving advice or generating the treatment plan. And I am feeling frustrated recently.

This time it was really good, not only very professional and targeted, but it also asked questions and interacted. Those interested can modify the last sentence and try it out. But please note!!! It cannot replace a psychotherapist or psychiatrist and can only provide suggestions and guidance for general psychological problems. If you feel uncomfortable, ineffective, averse, or need help, be sure to contact a professional immediately!

Reflection

First, to summarize the final product, this prompt as an assistant psychotherapist is fully qualified. Both the communication process and the advice given are worth 80 points for common psychological problems encountered by ordinary people. Of course, for serious psychological issues, it definitely can’t help. But this simple prompt took me about three to five hours to develop, equivalent to three years of undergraduate study in applied psychology. So, is GAI useful? I think the answer is yes.

But, of course, there’s an inevitable twist. Because I accidentally cleared the conversation, I only extracted the most important three iterations from the preserved prompts. However, it’s not hard to see the professional knowledge required to write a prompt:

1. Knowing the difference between a psychotherapist, a psychological therapist, and a psychiatrist;
2. Knowing the skills a psychotherapist should have. For example, in my prompt, I chose cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and mindfulness techniques because these techniques are more versatile and inherently step-by-step. In contrast, humanistic, psychoanalytic, and mirroring therapies are too subjective, requiring the full cognitive ability of the therapist as a person. (Yes, I tried these subjective therapies around iterations 1.6-1.7);
3. Knowing what a psychotherapist should do. It’s not just about letting ChatGPT ask proactively, but also about collecting necessary information. (Iterated about ten to twenty times)

Final Words

Recently, due to various issues in work and life, I’ve also fallen into a state of intense anxiety. I always feel that AI is developing too fast, and I can’t keep up, fearing I’ll be left behind by the world 🙄! A chance occurrence calmed me down a bit and made me, someone severely lacking in execution, decide to start blogging and creating content.

I chose this topic for my first post because I think GAI is very useful, a very powerful auxiliary tool. But it’s not as amazing as marketed, and most people don’t need to feel huge anxiety over the ubiquitous AI. Actually, there’s a lot more I want to write about, like my exchange with my supervisor about whether AI is artificial intelligence or artificial idiocy, fun facts about raw images from Stable Diffusion, and more. But my neighborhood is undergoing renovation recently, with intermittent water and power outages and internet disconnections. So, I’ve decided to make these topics a series, starting with my first blog post.

From my student days to my teaching career, a lot of knowledge and skills have evolved and been updated. But one thing my mentors taught me, and I taught my students, is the difference between methodology and method. Methodology indicates which method to use and why, while method refers to how to do something specifically.

One of the main reasons I started this blog and subsequent content creation is the hope that someone might gain some inspiration from what I share. Not just what I do, but also why I do it and my thought process, hoping that at least one of these aspects can inspire others.

Therefore, my articles may contain a lot of “nonsense,” because I believe that actions (methods) and motives (methodologies) are always equally important.

To be continued