Kenny Morales, a former student at Grand Island Senior High School in Nebraska, made headlines when he went off script in his graduation speech. Morales had used the OpenAI’s conversational chatbot, ChatGPT, to generate his speech for the ceremony, which was approved by the school. When he got on stage, he said something different from what he submitted, catching the school by surprise. In his speech, Morales criticized the lack of transparency in the school district’s administration, blaming them for not addressing the issues head on.
After his speech, District Board President Hank McFarland made a statement, saying, while the school has already been discussing discipline and class attendance, it is not okay for students to say whatever they want when given the chance. OpenAI is a research laboratory based in San Francisco that works on cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Since 2015, OpenAI has worked to create better and more versatile AI, releasing systems such as ChatGPT and GPT-Zero, which can detect AI-generated content, as seen in the instance of Morales.
While this instance has resulted in a discussion of school culture, home of the research lab, OpenAI serves as an example of the potential for AI and human collaboration. With new applications such as speech writing, OpenAI continues to set standards for a future of better collaborations between people and AI.
