Meet My Newest Writing Assistant
“Write a blog post about a writer's opinion on Chat GPT”
…
As a writer, I have to admit that I am both excited and hesitant about the rise of chat GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) technology. On the one hand, the ability of these AI-powered chatbots to generate human-like responses and engage in natural language conversations is incredibly impressive. The potential applications for this technology in fields like customer service, education, and entertainment are endless.
However, as a writer who values creativity and individuality, I also have concerns about the impact of chat GPT on the writing profession. As these AI systems become more advanced, there is a risk that they could replace human writers in certain contexts. While I believe that chat GPT has the potential to enhance and augment human creativity, it is important that we also consider the potential negative impacts on the writing industry.
In addition to the potential loss of jobs, there is also the issue of creativity and originality. While chat GPT systems can generate impressive responses and even mimic human writing styles, they are ultimately limited by the data and algorithms that they are trained on. This means that they are unlikely to produce truly unique and original content, as they are essentially just regurgitating existing information in a slightly different form.
Overall, while I am impressed by the capabilities of chat GPT technology, I also believe that it is important to approach it with caution. As writers, we must consider the potential impacts on our profession and strive to maintain the value of human creativity and originality. At the same time, we should also be open to exploring the potential benefits and applications of chat GPT technology in order to drive innovation and progress in the writing industry.
These paragraphs above were not written by me.
At my previous role with Singularity University, an organization focused on exponential technologies and digital transformation at large, we used to have a saying: “AI is easy, AV is hard.” By this, we mean that AI as a technology is easy (or seemingly easy), while the simplest-seeming things, such as trying to get a Powerpoint Presentation to work, can be frustratingly difficult.
This quote came to mind when trying out ChatGBT, OpenAI’s prototype dialogue-based AI chatbot. The tool is capable of understanding human language and spits out text that could easily pass as professional. This tool certainly makes AI seem pretty seamless.
“Write a blog post about a writer's opinion on Chat GPT,” was the prompt that I entered into the system.
It captured practically all I wanted to say, plus, I didn’t even need to edit it for grammatical errors. Pretty darn cool. Pretty scary, as well.
For writers such as myself, what does this mean for the future of our jobs? At present, the chatbot lacks both the nuance, critical-thinking skills that are key in the field of journalism. It could also give some answers that are entirely inaccurate. The text that I asked the system to write was opinionated, but if facts were involved, it might be a different story. So, we have to be careful not to become too reliant on it. It is important that AI and human intelligence work together, as the ultimate high-performing team, the best of both worlds. There is still the supervisory aspect of it, and humans need to be in the driver’s seat.
As writers and human beings, creativity is something that is unique to us, and ChatGPT is a nifty tool to keep in our back pockets. When dealing with writer’s block, it could certainly help to spur some ideas!
