Artificial intelligence: is it going to change everything?

Recently my son introduced me to Chat GPT (https://chat.openai.com/chat). The claim is that this software will lead to a technological revolution on the scale of the industrial revolution, for the benefit of humanity. Time will tell whether it lives up to its laudable aims.

The software is already being used to assist students ‘in the know’ to write essays (in any style imaginable), and to write ‘reflections’ on particular situations. I urge you all to check it out, and put in your own questions to the system to witness the incredibly short time in which reasonably credible answers are constructed.

Below I list a couple of computer-generated answers to simple orthodontic questions namely: ‘list the benefits of orthodontic photography’ and ‘how does a twin block work?’ The answers were generated almost instantaneously.

If a twin block appliance fails to reduce a patient's overjet, it could be due to a number of reasons. One possibility is that the appliance was not worn consistently or as prescribed by the orthodontist. For the twin block appliance to be effective, it is important that the patient wears it as directed, which typically includes wearing it for at least 22 hours per day. If the appliance is not worn consistently or as prescribed, it may not have the opportunity to exert the necessary pressure on the teeth to bring them into a more aligned position.