Have you heard of the new AI tools everyone is talking about? I’ve been avoiding the whole discussion on AI and ChatGPT for a while. The whole thing made me uneasy and felt very dystopian. I just didn’t want to think about it. My mind was filled with too many questions….
Where is the “soul”? Where is our world going?
Are we turning into robots? Is it going to replace jobs?
Will AI make human writing extinct? Are we going to be overloaded with more AI-generated content?
Are our children and grandchildren going to actually learn how to write, or will AI do it for them?
But then I decided to learn more about it because…I knew it was inevitable. I couldn’t avoid the discussion any longer. And I realized that if you take a different approach to this subject, this tool could really help you.
It’s Like Google, but on Steroids!
We don’t know all the implications of AI and ChatGPT. It’s still too early to tell how this will affect people long term. In the meantime, you might look at it as taking Google to the next level.
When we use Google, we type in a question or search keywords and it produces a response. Similarly, with AI, we ask it a question and it generates a response. Then, we can narrow down our question or refine our question, just like we narrow down our search keywords on Google.
Although some AI tools can write code, develop plugins, and create images, I’m going to focus specifically on ChatGPT, which is the only one I’ve tried so far.
Initially, I’ve been using it on a few things, but in the coming weeks, I’ll be learning and sharing more about it. In the meantime, this is what I know now.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research laboratory. OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and three other individuals, with funding from Microsoft and other notable investors. While Altman remains CEO of OpenAI, Musk no longer owns a stake in the company.
ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a free Artificial Intelligence tool that was developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022. Since then, it’s generated a lot of publicity. Why? Because of what it can do. I’ll talk more about that in the next section.
Right now, it’s the fastest-growing consumer app in history, gaining 100 million users in the first two months after it was released. It had an average of 13 million unique visitors per day in January 2023.
Clearly….this is something to investigate.
What Can it Do?
ChatGPT can create human-like text in a variety of genres. In other words, it can generate writing of ANY kind (technical, informative, persuasive, editorial/opinion, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc) as if it was written by a human. All the user has to do is give it a prompt or some instruction.
For example, here’s a prompt I gave ChatGPT:
Here’s what it came up with:
What do you think? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Read on.
How Will AI Change Writing?
ChatGPT opens up big possibilities in content creation. If you’re a business owner, it’s important to have a steady stream of VALUABLE content for your audience. Preferably, evergreen content.
However, that’s easier said than done. You get busy, distracted, or just plain stuck sometimes. No more! ChatGPT can help!
ChatGPT can help you write copy for blog posts, articles, emails, website pages, social media captions, and other marketing materials. With a simple or detailed prompt, it can do one or all of the following, depending on your needs:
- Brainstorm content ideas
- Research topics (quickly!)
- Create outlines
- Produce complete long-form or short-form articles
- Change the tone or length of existing text
- Provide suggestions for improving content
Pros of ChatGPT
I’ve already mentioned a few advantages of using a tool like ChatGPT. It can produce content quickly, freeing up your time to focus on other things. In addition, it’s free (for now). So it’s cheaper than paying someone to write your content. ChatGPT can also save you time in the research part of writing an article.
Cons of ChatGPT
However, there are also several disadvantages to using AI tools like ChatGPT. It can:
- Reach “overcapacity” frequently during working hours, making it unavailable
- Provide inaccurate or incomplete information
- Lack of creativity and originality
- Not express human feelings or offer unique insights
- Write too formally, but use too much slang when asked to write in an informal tone.
- Be too wordy
Want to know how to check for plagiarism? Use this tool https://originality.ai/
Biggest Drawback
In my opinion, the key drawback of ChatGPT is that it lacks empathy. Meaning, it can’t relate, understand, or empathize with your readers’ needs and pain points. That’s a huge disadvantage when you’re writing. After all, your copy should be about your reader.
Here’s an exert from my article “Stop Bragging, It’s Not About You”:
“In order to write engaging copy for your website, you need to understand your reader’s emotions and talk to them at an emotional level. Sure, facts and data are nice to have, but you really need to speak to the reader’s desires, dreams, feelings, and fears.”
From what I can see so far, AI and ChatGPT can’t do this. It can’t understand people on that level.
How to Try ChatGPT
The best way to learn about ChatGPT is by trying it yourself. It’s very easy and I encourage you to test it out. Experiment with several prompts and see what it generates.
You can access ChatGPT by visiting chat.openai.com and creating an OpenAI account. Once you sign in, you’re able to start chatting away with the AI bot. Start off by asking it a question or giving it a prompt or instruction.
Watch Video on How to Use ChatGPT
For now, it’s free to use and you can ask as many questions as you’d like. It saves previous conversations in the sidebar if you want to go back to them.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of buzz about ChatGPT right now, and for good reason! Who would have believed that a tool could write like a human with just a simple prompt?
I’m cautiously optimistic. This new tool is exciting, but I don’t think it can replace true writing. It won’t replace brilliant authors, copywriters, computer programmers, and others who use their highly trained skills and human qualities to create excellent work.
Think about how you can use ChatGPT in your business to increase productivity and save time and money. However, be sure to remember that business is not about you, it’s about RELATIONSHIPS. Your audience wants to get to know you and the wisdom you can share with them, not a computer.
I’m assuming you can edit the results and add your own information.
Yes. I see it as a first draft. You yes it gives you back the text and you can do whatever you want with it!
I have the same cautions as you, plus this: I opened up an account, and they wanted my cell phone number. Wouldn’t accept a landline number. Not sure I can proceed. I’m VERY cautious about where I share my cell phone number, and even though I almost never do with a business, still I get spam messages. Have you gotten more spam messages since signing up? (Someone I know says, “You can’t afford free.” There are always some strings attached.)
Diane,
I signed up with my Google voice number. I like you am cautious with my cell number. We will see how this all works out…