How to use ChatGPT effectively

Are AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E-2 the future of creative work or a threat to human ingenuity? As a writer and communications strategist, I was curious to find out.

If you haven’t yet checked out ChatGPT or Dall-E-2, you are likely in the minority. My curiosity got the better of me several weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been playing around with ChatGPT as an idea generator – sort of a virtual colleague that I can bounce ideas off and ask for new perspectives as I’m working on copy or searching for inspiration.

My experiences have been mixed. I’ve yet to be totally wowed by ChatGPT’s responses (except when I remember that I’m essentially interacting with a robot). But I also haven’t been deeply disturbed by our exchanges. Unlike The New York Times correspondent’s unsettling conversation with Microsoft’s chatbot Bing. Or should we call it Sydney?

How can we use AI in our work?

Current AI chatbots have limitations. Yet, those limitations should not deter us from exploring the possibilities of AI in communications and business (and beyond). Like ChatGPT itself stated when I asked, it’s just one tool in a larger strategy that should be used in conjunction with human touchpoints.

As a virtual colleague, especially for those who work remotely and may need a dose of inspiration – or a laugh –  at a 3pm slump, ChatGPT is a great tool. As for where AI itself is headed – it’s like catching lightning in a jar. The possibilities are limitless. I only hope it’s used for genuine, creative pursuits. Rather than poorly crafted workout plans or recipes without the chef/blogger’s memory of that time with their brother riding a bike in the sunshine in Florida (and what does this have to do with the cookie?) preceding them.

In short, to make the most of ChatGPT and emerging AI tools, we must harness its power wisely and apply our own critical eye to its results. Both to avoid the curse of mediocrity and to preserve the essence that makes us human. 

Written and edited by Kate Chandler and ChatGPT