If You Can’t Bot ’Em, Join ’Em!
I’ve been afraid of AI ever since the Skynet Terminator showed up on the wrong Sarah Connor’s doorstep in 1984. And HAL? Forget it. Not only was he creepy, he was also, let’s agree, condescending. I can’t tell if I’d rather be chased by an unstoppable robot assassin or be patronized by one. But I have never once fooled myself into thinking that when AI came, it wouldn’t be smarter and faster than me—than all of us! I believe the movies.
And of course, beyond the Hollywood connotations there are the actually very-real ethical concerns.
Question: What happened to the cashiers at my local Stop & Shop, and my local Target? Why am I spending the last leg of my already arduous grocery store trip arguing with a machine about an unexpected item in the bagging area, instead of chatting with someone about our days?
“Do you know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?”
This surely saves the store money but it adds time and frustration to my experience. (I swear, that little robot voice is as suspicious as its predecessor HAL: Please remember to scan all items before putting them in the bagging area. Listen, you sack of tin! I scanned the damn yogurt!) And, of course, there are no savings passed on to me, which aggravates my Sagittarian need for perceived fairness. (In fact, grocery prices are higher than ever.) This is why I opt for my local Trader Joe’s, and it’s unfathomably friendly, Hawaiian-shirt clad staff.
Why is the pursuit of technology as a cost-cutting measure acceptable, instead of job creation? Is hiring a bot to do the work a human should be doing really fair? Wouldn’t it be better if, say, we used the bots to make us less busy instead of less useful, freeing us up to enjoy more time with our families, more vacations, and more leisure time to cultivate our hobbies?
Like I said, ethical concerns. But also, personal.
As you can imagine, when the name “ChatGPT” started to be tossed around in polite conversation I was anxious. Not just because of HAL, but because as a writer I would hate to think that my hard-honed skills can be compared to a bot. This is a job I love, and I am good at. I’ve spent the better part of two decades writing and discovering new ways to reach audiences. It means something to me. To the bot, it means nothing.
As any person with a generalized anxiety disorder would, I decided to ignore the problem. Folks would mention writing with ChatGPT, and I would not say a word. I shall not speak its name out loud, I consoled myself, less it become real. I turned to my usual form of escapism to cope, but social media platforms started asking if I needed “writing tips” or AI generated text to write my status updates. (Do you think a computer can match my banality and ridiculousness? Surely not.) With a twist in my heart, I would stare at my screen and wonder, Et tu, Facebook?
ChatGPT was quickly becoming the Eve Harrington to my Margo Channing, full of stings and making honey. Denying its allure was true to my nature as a conflict avoider, sure, but it wasn’t sustainable. There’s a saying folks I know say, “Let go or be dragged.” I didn’t want AI to drag me, and so, I decided to let go of my fears and, you know, try it.
First, it’s important for me to state that I never use AI for my writing. I take pride in my work and I truly, honestly, don’t think a computer can be as clever as I am (ah-hem). And how would I hand-wring over the right words if I relied on a bot? I simply, as Dr. Seuss might say, could not. I will not give my work to a bot, I could not, would not, surely NOT.
Instead, I decided to approach AI and specifically ChatGPT hesitantly, but also as a tool. When offered a 40-page transcript from a client from which I needed to glean 3-5 copy points, I had ChatGPT summarize the biggest takeaways from the speech. This freed up about an hour of the process, and I was able to use that time elsewhere. So far, so good.
When faced with a particularly complex project that was overwhelming me, I took a few moments to explain what I was trying to do to ChatGPT and asked it to help me create an outline to organize my thoughts. Viola! Suddenly, my squirrel brain was organized. I learned that the more information you provide, and the more direction you give, the more ChatGPT can help. You’re working together.
I started using ChatGPT as a research tool, choosing to converse with the bot instead of asking basic queries to Google. Because ChatGPT can continue a conversation, I could easily ask it follow-up questions or get clarity on different elements of the information it presented. Not too shabby.
Basically, I started treating it like a coworker that I could bounce ideas off of, or one who could help me figure out next steps when I was stuck. Remember the old days when we’d sit in cubes and turn to our neighbor and “Hey, do you know anything about x, y, or z?” And then we’d have a discussion? It’s like that, only this coworker has no personality, and it appreciates my jokes less.
It feels like my own CP30. It turns out, I don’t need a protocol droid, but it’s nice to have one.
After a few weeks of utilizing ChatGPT in a way that I felt was ethical and professional, I started to talk about it. I shared my thoughts with friends and told them how I was using the tool, and I was surprised to hear some of the really creative things they did with it. One coworker shared that they would input the items in their pantry and ask ChatGPT to create a menu for the week. Whaaaa? The brilliance! Another had it compose text message responses to a challenging co-parent. Still another had it create a list of recommended movies based on some of her favorites. Absolute genius!
I believe that humans are critical to human work: To feel empowered, to connect, and to thrive. I have come to believe that ChatGPT and other AI can be accessed as a tool that can help us, not replace us.
Honestly, I’d like the check-out people back. I miss those small interactions that make up the mundane loveliness of life.
And so I say use it, but use it wisely and ethically and creatively. It doesn’t do you work for you, but it can help you take it to the next level. Now, I am off to watch Requiem For A Dream, because ChatGPT thinks I will like it.
PS- I’d like to see ChatGPT make as many pop culture references as I did in this blog post, though. You haven’t won yet, machines!
