In the dynamic landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs), OpenAI’s ChatGPT has emerged as the frontrunner with an impressive 89,9% share of voice on platforms like Twitter and Reddit among the top seven LLMs so far in 2023, reveals GobalData’s Social Media Analytics Platform.
“These discussions delved into a spectrum of aspects – from AI’s role in approximating human language, to concerns about misinformation and the need for ethical oversight,” says Smitarani Tripathy, social media analyst at GlobalData. “The analysis sheds light on the evolving discourse around AI’s influence on communication and creativity.”
The remaining six most mentioned LLMs were Bard (5,7%), LLaMA (1,6%), Claude (1,1%), PaLM (0,8%), BERT (0,5%) and LaMDA (0,4%).
“Hallucination or fabrication of information was one of the most discussed topics around the mentioned LLMs,” continues Tripathy. “Twitter influencers are of the opinion that these AI tools are designed to approximate human language, not truth, and often contain half-truths, misremembered details, and plagiarism, confounding users and raising questions about the accuracy and reliability of AI.”
Influencers have also highlighted the need for ethical oversight, fact-checking, and input from social scientists and ethicists to align AI systems with human values. Meanwhile, some influencers argue that hallucinations in AI could lead to creativity and understanding human conversation.
Conversations regarding ChatGPT on social media revolved around its diverse capabilities including data analysis, synthesising literature reviews, and generating summaries and code.
The launch of the free ChatGPT iOS app in May 2023 stirred excitement across platforms. Influencers expressed predominantly positive sentiments due to the app’s complimentary nature and parity with Web features like cross-device history synchronisation. Moreover, the app’s voice input feature garnered praise for providing comprehensible, precise information.
Influencers have discussed how the GPT has the potential to redefine productivity and squeeze the bell curve as it can bridge the gap between cognition and expression, allowing for creative expression. On the contrary, influencers also raised concerns about the tool’s ability to produce compelling misinformation. Other potential negative impacts include the ban on GPT usage in some companies based on the fear of intellectual property theft.
Bard, developed by Google, came under social media backlash as the AI tool made a factual error in its first live demo which led to a dramatic spike in social media discussions in February 2023. Twitter influencers have highlighted the hallucination issues related to the tool and the vulnerability of Bard’s AI compared to other AI systems.
LLaMA, developed by Meta, emerged as the third most-mentioned LLM among the social media discussions in 2023. Influencers reacted positively to the launch of LLaMA-2, the latest version of LLaMA in partnership with Microsoft, as this is an open-source LLM which can be used freely for commercial and research purposes and spur on further AI advancement.
“Amidst the AI landscape, ChatGPT’s commanding presence in social media discussions is a testament to its significance and impact,” says Tripathy. “The diverse conversations shed light on AI’s multifaceted role, its challenges, and the evolving perspectives of influencers. These discussions highlight the intersection of technology and human concerns, underscoring the need for responsible development and informed dialogue.”