Ryan Blaney warns 'you’ve got to be friendly' to AI after ChatGPT conversation
NASCAR star Ryan Blaney believes an abundance of caution should be applied when it comes to using AI following a recent conversation with ChatGPT
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, who recently finished third at Pocono, believes it’s in everyone's best interest to stay on the good side of Artificial Intelligence.
This comes after the driver of Team Penske’s No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse was seemingly left taken aback by a recent conversation he had with ChatGPT regarding his new home.
While admitting he doesn’t typically use AI often, Blaney recently told The Athletic that he had sought out the chatbot for only the second time as he “had a question on this home thing.”
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“I said, ‘Hey, Chat, my wife and I just bought this house.’ I [had] a question about cleaning service or inspection…And it was super nice,” the 31-year-old admitted.
“It was like, ‘Hi Ryan, congratulations on your new home! Here is what is typically done’...You’ve got to be friendly to it. You don’t want it to come bite you in 10 years. If you’re kind of a jerk to Chat, if you’re a jerk to AI, you’ve got to keep them on your side when they take over everything.”
Blaney’s comment could be seen as a sign he’s watched I, Robot one too many times, although it’s safe to say that the ethics, morality, and the evolution of AI are truly contentious topics at the best of times.
Aside from minor concerns about the potentially existential threat facing mankind in the face of AI, Blaney has so far enjoyed an excellent year. With eight top 10 finishes, including a win at Nashville, he is currently sixth in the Cup Series standings after 17 races.
The upcoming Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will not only represent another opportunity to add to his 14 career wins, but it will also mark the first round of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
Featuring 32 drivers, seeded off their best results from the last three races, each week the remaining drivers will be halved based on their result against another predetermined competitor. Starting in Atlanta, the Challenge will be whittled down across the coming five races until a champion is crowned at Indianapolis, where they will be awarded $1 million.
Seeded seventh, Blaney will go up against Spire Motorsports’ rising star Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 in Atlanta, with the winner set to take on either Kyle Larson or Tyler Reddick in the next round.
Looking ahead to the In-Season Challenge, Blaney told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, prior to Pocono, “When we get to Atlanta, I feel like in the back of your mind, you’re going to be thinking about, ‘Hey, who am I racing?’
“At the end of the day, you can take the easy route and just be like, ‘Well, just win the race. Win all five of them and you’re going to beat everybody.’ But, I think in some moments you might be thinking about that. But you’re, at the end of the day, going to do what's best for your individual race.”
