Still unevenly distributed

According to this Pew study from last week:

• 18% of U.S. adults have heard a lot about ChatGPT
• 39% have heard a little
• 42% have heard nothing at all

I’m tempted to leave it at that, because for me contemplating that stark reality is a thought exercise.

But if you extrapolate a bit, you arrive here:  just 4% of US adults find ChatGPT useful.

So what’s going on here – how can a technology that the vast majority of people find non-useful be more revolutionary than anything ever, except maybe the technology that got our knuckles off the ground for good (rock tools)?

I think the answer is that it can be that revolutionary useful but in good time, like with the web. Generative AI and machine learning in general may even reshape our economy and society, maybe even our genetic evolution.

But it’s another case of the future being here but unevenly distributed.

Yes, generative AI rips machine learning out of the graspy talons of the programmer and puts it in the lap of the knowledge worker – but that’s still a pretty small segment of society.

Maybe the 4% number is also another case of social media feeds drowning out understanding.

For most in product is, one way to proceed here is to ask: how do I leverage LLMs without relying on the web app called ChatGPT?