Alex Bowden, a full-stack web developer and technology consultant for Slalom’s Rapid Application Development team, and Anthony Gould, a data and technology leader at Slalom, examine how ChatGPT is changing the landscape of web development and the role of humans and machines in the industry.

With a deep understanding of the relationship between technology and the labor market, Alex works with organizations to embrace the positive potential of AI and navigate the exciting changes ahead. Anthony leads Slalom’s incubation engine business, keeping an eye on disruptive technologies that can have a positive impact on Slalom clients.

Introduction

In this article, we explore the revolutionary potential of the artificial intelligence (AI) tool known as ChatGPT. The technology was developed to feel as human as possible and it answers questions ranging from “what should I have for dinner tonight?” to “how do I code in Python?”

OpenAI has made its ChatGPT tool available for free for a limited time and it has not announced when it will be transitioning to a paid model. If you are interested in using ChatGPT, you can create an account through this link.

Slalom is using ChatGPT and natural language processing (NLP) technology to enable next-generation software development. In this article, we will examine ChatGPT’s history and common use cases, with a focus on its application in web development, to understand how organizations can adopt a uniquely human approach to introducing AI capabilities. We will also explore how Slalom is committed to supporting clients in their adoption of the rapidly popular OpenAI product, ChatGPT.

The rise of ChatGPT: A new era in AI

The release of the iPhone in 2007 was a significant moment in the tech industry, as its innovative design, features, and interface sparked a revolution in how we use and interact with technology.

Similarly, the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 is expected to be a major event in the AI field. It represents the culmination of years of research and development by the parent company, OpenAI, and its founders, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, starting back in 2015.

ChatGPT is expected to bring about significant changes in how we live and work thanks to its ability to think and communicate like a human and its vast database of knowledge. OpenAI aims to be at the forefront of advancing AI research and developing products that leverage the latest advances in the field of artificial intelligence.

Backed by notable investors including Microsoft and Peter Thiel, OpenAI has built platforms such as GPT-3, DALL-E, RoboSumo, and Codex. We recommend taking a look at the full suite of OpenAI products and the variety of API integrations they have to offer.

One of the keys to OpenAI’s success is ensuring their products act with good character and do not say anything harmful to users. OpenAI has implemented various parameters and safeguards to ensure that its NLP and AI products like ChatGPT behave ethically and responsibly.

How ChatGPT can change the way we live and work

It’s clear that ChatGPT has the potential to touch almost every aspect of our lives. As adoption grows, it’s likely that ChatGPT will become a widely used commonplace platform. ChatGPT may seem like a trendy technology, just like the iPhone in 2007, but as ChatGPT becomes more mainstream it will become a standard tool for both our work and personal lives.

Here are just a few examples of how ChatGPT could impact our day-to-day lives at work:

• For customer service, ChatGPT could be used as a chatbot that can assist customers with personalized responses
• For coding, ChatGPT can assist employees with programming in languages such as Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and more
• For research, ChatGPT can find information and answer questions quickly, similar to Google or Stack Overflow, but with more targeted answers

But ChatGPT isn’t just limited to the workplace. Here are a few examples of how it could be used in our personal lives:

• For parents, ChatGPT can plan family vacations, create birthday party ideas, and assist with writing a daily chore schedule
• For artists, ChatGPT can generate ideas for inventive new projects, write lyrics for songs, and it can even recommend the music to go with the vocals
• For home cooks, ChatGPT can generate recipe ideas, create shopping lists, and even assist with meal planning

These are just a few examples of how a language model like ChatGPT could be used at work and in our personal lives. The tool is currently free so try it for yourself to see what you can accomplish — the possibilities are virtually endless.

Natural language processing: Redefining web development

As artificial intelligence and ChatGPT continue to advance and become more prevalent in our daily lives, Slalom’s Rapid Development Team is committed to providing expertise and guidance on this innovative technology to our clients and the public. We are especially focused on how this AI platform will impact web and mobile application development for years to come.

ChatGPT is a revolutionary new tool for developers because it offers a brand-new way to approach software development. It can do everything from coding to debugging, problem-solving, and summarizing documentation.

It can also develop websites within seconds, but the tool is best used for back-end programming languages like Python and Javascript. In the example below, we had ChatGPT build a website in multiple front-end programming languages using NLP.

Imagine a world where you could instantly add a brand-new feature to your website by asking for it in plain English. That’s where we are quickly heading in the wake of this new platform, but functionality like that will take time.

OpenAI aims to train the artificial intelligence with the information us humans provide through our testing, and the company is rapidly adding more information to its database. While ChatGPT is already a fantastic tool to write accurate Python and JavaScript code, amongst others, it still has plenty of room to grow as it relates to building websites and apps. This feature allowing us to build websites through NLP was only released on December 15, 2022, and the AI needs time to train its newest full-stack capabilities.

It’s not clear what additional advanced functionality is in OpenAI’s roadmap for the future of its industry leading platform, ChatGPT. In a relatively short period of time, we could see the AI advancing to the levels where it could support entire enterprise systems.

What is clear now is how transformative this new era in the AI revolution will become. We recommend trying the coding capabilities for yourself, and we encourage you to let us know what you think. You can try ChatGPT for free for a limited time at https://chat.openai.com/

A uniquely human approach

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, it is important to remember that humans will always play a vital role in the development and use of these technologies. One key reason is that creativity is still a uniquely human trait and AI is not yet able to replicate our diverse thought processes. This means that humans drive the creative process, whether it is the development of new products and ideas or in the use of AI to bring those ideas to life.

At Slalom, we believe in supporting our clients on their journey with AI-enabled development through our partner incubation model. This approach allows us to bring in the best perspective on all things AI, including security, compliance, privacy, and relevance.

We don’t just bring in any technology or solution; instead, we carefully evaluate and select the technologies that are most relevant to our clients’ needs and will provide the greatest value. This approach allows us to support our clients in a way that is tailored to their specific needs and goals and ensures that they are able to make the most of their AI investments.

Our goal is to help our clients succeed by leveraging the power of AI in a way that is both safe and effective, and we are committed to supporting our business partners every step of the way.

As part of our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of technological developments, we will be releasing more content on AI and ChatGPT. This content will include updates on the latest trends and developments in these technologies, as well as practical guidance and tips for using them to support our clients’ goals and needs.

Closing remarks

ChatGPT is incredibly exciting, the positive impact this tool could have on society is tremendous. We are going to stay hot on the trail of ChatGPT releases and provide a series of posts related to opportunities as they unfold. We’re engaging our security and compliance teams as we develop the bounds for exploring with our clients while managing risk. We’re maintaining a pulse on OpenAI products and are interested to see the fast adoption that commonly exist with advancements like these.

What we’re most excited about is hearing from you! Where do you see the opportunity within your own work? If you’d like to chat with our team, feel free to message directly.

Stay tuned, in the next few weeks post-holiday, we’ll be sharing perspectives from leaders across relevant business areas such as contact center innovation, software development, technology strategy, data and analytics and our incubation engine. Let us know if there are areas of interest you’d like to hear from us.

Slalom is a global consulting firm that helps people and organizations dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all. Learn more and reach out today.