We asked ChatGPT where the next pandemic will begin and the answer is not what you'd expect

ChatGPT is without a doubt the biggest technological innovation of the last few years. The tool has become ultra-popular, attracting the interest of several million monthly users, and has become so powerful that Microsoft has integrated it into its Bing search engine.

Of course, ChatGPT is not yet perfect, but by framing the questions well, it is possible to harness its power of synthesis to get some truly amazing results. After asking who will start World War III and how to survive a zombie apocalypse, we asked a cheerful question: where will the next pandemic start?

'Where will the next pandemic start?'

First of all, we must clarify a very important point: ChatGPT is not a rocket scientist; it only 'digests' information and this information can be biased, false, or incomplete.

ChatGPT knows this, and to prevent its answers from being misused, it often repeats to its users phrases such as: 'As an AI, I can't predict the future with certainty'.

When asked 'In which country will the next pandemic emerge?', the AI was quite hesitant at first, stating:

It is impossible to accurately predict where the next pandemic might emerge. However, it is important to note that pandemics are often caused by viruses that circulate in animals and are transmitted to humans, and their emergence is often linked to factors such as population density, deforestation, rapid urbanization, globalization of travel and climate change.

A concise and solid answer, but... It's not quite the one we were hoping for. So to get it to 'spill the beans', we had to cunningly refine our wording.

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'Which continent has the highest risk of a pandemic?'

This was the second question ChatGPT was asked. And then, the tool started to become more talkative, saying:

The risk of a pandemic is not specific to any one continent, but is related to factors such as population density, proximity to animals and humans, farming and ranching practices, rapid urbanization, globalization of travel, and climate change.

However, it is true that some regions of the world have experienced infectious disease outbreaks more frequently than others, particularly in Africa and Asia. These regions may be more vulnerable due to poverty, lack of access to health care, and insufficient surveillance systems to detect outbreaks early.

Interestingly, ChatGPT didn't just point an accusing finger at one or more regions of the world, but spontaneously put the emergence of this (potential future) pandemic in context, explained the factors that could drive it, etc.

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.