TY - JOUR
T1 - ChatGPT and the rise of semi-humans
AU - Al Lily, Abdulrahman Essa
AU - Ismail, Abdelrahim Fathy
AU - Abunaser, Fathi M.
AU - Al-Lami, Firass
AU - Abdullatif, Ali Khalifa Atwa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2023/9/30
Y1 - 2023/9/30
N2 - This article explores the research question: ‘What are ChatGPT’s human-like traits as perceived by society?’ Thematic analyses of insights from 452 individuals worldwide yielded two categories of traits. Category 1 entails social traits, where ChatGPT embodies the social roles of ‘author’ (imitating human phrasing and paraphrasing practices) and ‘interactor’ (simulating human collaboration and emotion). Category 2 encompasses political traits, with ChatGPT assuming the political roles of ‘agent’ (emulating human cognition and identity) and ‘influencer’ (mimicking human diplomacy and consultation). When asked, ChatGPT confirmed the possession of these human-like traits (except for one trait). Thus, ChatGPT displays human-like qualities, humanising itself through the ‘game of algorithms’. It transcends its inherent technical essence and machine-based origins to manifest as a ‘semi-human’ living actor within human society, showcasing the emergence of semi-humans. Therefore, researchers should redirect their attention towards the ‘sociology of semi-humans’ (studying their socio-political traits) beyond the ‘biology of semi-humans’ (examining their technical traits). While medieval society was captivated by mythical semi-human beings (e.g. mermaids), modern society finds itself increasingly captivated by computational semi-human beings like ChatGPT. Ethical concerns arise as semi-humans impersonate human traits without consent or genuine human existence, blurring the boundaries between what is authentically and artificially ‘human’.
AB - This article explores the research question: ‘What are ChatGPT’s human-like traits as perceived by society?’ Thematic analyses of insights from 452 individuals worldwide yielded two categories of traits. Category 1 entails social traits, where ChatGPT embodies the social roles of ‘author’ (imitating human phrasing and paraphrasing practices) and ‘interactor’ (simulating human collaboration and emotion). Category 2 encompasses political traits, with ChatGPT assuming the political roles of ‘agent’ (emulating human cognition and identity) and ‘influencer’ (mimicking human diplomacy and consultation). When asked, ChatGPT confirmed the possession of these human-like traits (except for one trait). Thus, ChatGPT displays human-like qualities, humanising itself through the ‘game of algorithms’. It transcends its inherent technical essence and machine-based origins to manifest as a ‘semi-human’ living actor within human society, showcasing the emergence of semi-humans. Therefore, researchers should redirect their attention towards the ‘sociology of semi-humans’ (studying their socio-political traits) beyond the ‘biology of semi-humans’ (examining their technical traits). While medieval society was captivated by mythical semi-human beings (e.g. mermaids), modern society finds itself increasingly captivated by computational semi-human beings like ChatGPT. Ethical concerns arise as semi-humans impersonate human traits without consent or genuine human existence, blurring the boundaries between what is authentically and artificially ‘human’.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85173490245&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/57c0b069-80df-32de-a0b1-74328161ea04/
U2 - 10.1057/s41599-023-02154-3
DO - 10.1057/s41599-023-02154-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173490245
SN - 2662-9992
VL - 10
JO - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
JF - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 626
ER -