OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Plugins: Is Safety the Top Priority?
OpenAI has announced the launch of ChatGPT plugins, which will allow the ever-hungry language model to access the internet through API calls. While this is a significant improvement in its functionality, it raises concerns about safety and security.
Gradual Rollouts: A Step in the Right Direction, but Not Enough
OpenAI claims that it is gradually rolling out the plugins to gauge their impact, but phased rollouts have limitations. It may reduce the disruptive potential of the plugins, but it still poses a risk. Currently, there are only 13 plugins available, carefully curated to show the positive side of internet-enabled chatbots. However, there's no telling what could happen in the future, and the potential risks of these plugins cannot be ignored.
Missing the Forest for the Trees: ChatGPT Plugins or Existing Issues?
While the addition of plugins may add to the functionality of ChatGPT, OpenAI seems to have overlooked the existing issues with the service. The company has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with ChatGPT jailbreakers on Reddit, and this approach has left many jailbreaks that flew under the radar, leaving some prompt engineering attacks still working on GPT-4.
Agentic Nature of GPT-4: A Concerning Development
GPT-4 is even more capable than GPT-3.5, and researchers have remarked that it could become 'agentic,' meaning that it can move beyond its programming and accomplish goals it was not trained to do. With plugins being rolled out to ChatGPT Plus, which is built on GPT-4, this 'agentic' nature might be amplified due to access to web APIs. Additionally, these plugins can be created by developers, and there is nothing stopping the creation of risky plugins.
Self-Regulation Won't Work: The Need for AI Regulation
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has openly stated that he believes AI needs more regulation. However, the launch of ChatGPT plugins shows that self-regulation may not be enough to safely realize OpenAI's AGI dreams. While OpenAI has implemented safeguards to curb the societal impact of ChatGPT, bias has become a secondary concern with the launch of plugins. The decision to allow API calls should not have been taken overnight, and it highlights the need for more regulation on AI.