Only recently, tech giants including Elon Musk signed a letter calling for the postponement of certain AI tools which, according to the missive, pose “profound risks to humanity”.
ChatGPT has become one of the best-known AI tools, with a student recently using the technology to write a (successful) appeal against a parking fine. The tool can answer questions and help users compile essays, emails or even computer code.
But how much does it know about football, and specifically Sheffield United? To really put it to the test we tasked ChatGPT with compiling its best-ever Blades XI - a task that even the most diehard Unitedite may find difficult. Choosing a 3-4-3 formation, the AI made some bold decisions in both personnel and positioning - and some of the choices were curious, to say the least!
9. Midfielder: Kevin Gage
We knew it was too good to be true, deep down, and a third defender makes ChatGPT’s best-ever cut in midfield in the form of former right-back Gage. Maybe the AI is clouded by false memories of him helping United to promotion in 1990 – he didn’t join until a few years later – but references to his tenacity and work-rate seem fair enough. Photo: Chris Holt
10. Forward: Billy Sharp
Now we’re cooking on gas. The three forwards selected by ChatGPT are/were actually strikers, so that’s a start, and not many Blades would disagree with the selections. Sharp, the AI says, is known “for his clinical finishing and his ability to score goals from a variety of positions on the pitch. He is also a leader on and off the pitch, serving as the club captain since 2019.” It was 2016, but we’re splitting hairs a little there. He scores goals, remember... Photo: Andrew Yates
11. Forward: Brian Deane
So good that ChatGPT initially selected him twice in its all-time Blades XI, including once as a defender. Deane, the AI says, is “widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Sheffield United's history, and he was an instrumental figure in the club's success during the 1990s.” Hard to argue with that. The assertion he served as United’s captain is a little awry but his leadership was underrated in some quarters and he’s a deserved pick in the all-time XI Photo: Chris Lawton
12. Forward: Tony Agana
The man who formed such a devastating partnership with Deane in the 1990s gets the nod to complete the ChatGPT’s all-time XI. “Agana was known for his speed, skill, and clinical finishing ability,” it says, and “Agana was also a fan favourite and was known for his charismatic personality both on and off the pitch.” He was that good that the AI remembers him helping United win promotion in 1984, four years before he signed. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers