ChatGPT: Benefits and (possible) Harms
Welcome to the World of ChatGPT!
If you don’t already know, ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI that has been making waves in the world of work and productivity, quickly becoming an essential tool for businesses and individuals looking to improve all forms of efficiency. OR “Chad” as we like to refer to it in our house… (my wife had not yet heard of this tech and in my initial explanation she misheard me and thought I said “Chad PT”... and now we just say “Chad”). Maybe our personification of ChatGPT is already a warning sign?? We’ll see.
Back to the point: Because of the wildly growing use of this tech, I wanted to take a quick look at the top 5 processes that are being made more efficient with the help of ChatGPT, as well as highlighting some of the potential harms of overusing it. (but as in all things, time will tell!)
Here are the TOP 5 Benefits (currently) being experienced:
1.Writing, Editing and Content Creating
One of the most obvious uses for ChatGPT is for writing and editing. This insanely smart algorithm can help automate the writing process, generating high-quality content with minimal input (at least from humans!). It can also help with editing, suggesting changes to existing content to make it more clear and effective. I also wanted to mention here Content Creation in general. All of it can be a time-consuming process, especially when it comes to research and fact-checking. ChatGPT can assist with this by providing relevant information and insights, making the content creation process faster without losing the trustworthiness of the content itself.
The benefits: It can save time, reduce errors, and improve the overall quality of the content. This can lead to better engagement with your audiences, increased conversions (when applicable), and potentially improved brand recognition.
2. Customer Service
Another area where ChatGPT is making a big impact is in customer service. Honestly, this one is such a fantastic category of application. Chatbots powered by ChatGPT can help answer customer queries quickly and efficiently, providing a better overall experience for the customer while simultaneously reducing the amount of time human employees have to spend answering questions/inquiries that do not actually require human input.
The benefits: By automating customer service processes, businesses can save time and money while still providing excellent customer support. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved retention rates, and a stronger reputation for the business. This means you no longer need to find that Unicorn employee who LOVES interacting with customers all day, every day 😀
3. Research and analysis
ChatGPT can also be used to automate research and analysis processes. By inputting a set of parameters and letting the program do the work, businesses can quickly gather valuable insights without the need for extensive human labor.
The benefits: It can (once again) save time, reduce errors, and provide valuable insights that might not be immediately apparent to a human analyst. This can lead to better decision-making, improved performance, and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
**BUT before all analysts panic over their career, it cannot do everything NOR can it present the data in the same way a human can – you are all still needed and valuable. Don’t hang up the pens and calculators just yet.
4. Translation
ChatGPT can also be used to automate the translation process, helping businesses communicate with customers and partners in different parts of the world with much higher efficiency and time. By inputting text in one language and letting ChatGPT do the rest, businesses can quickly and efficiently translate their content without the need for human translators.
The benefits: It can save time, reduce errors, and improve communication with people in different parts of the world. This can lead to improved relationships with customers and partners, increased global reach, and improved revenue streams. BUT nothing will replace a native speaker or someone with fluency and cultural awareness. If you have spent any time in another language than your “at home” language, you know that there are terms and phrases you won’t learn in the language classes – Humans, you’re still needed in translation!!
5. Project management
Finally, ChatGPT can be used to automate certain project management processes. You can input a set of parameters and let ChatGPT do the work. As a result, businesses can quickly and efficiently manage their projects without the need for extensive human labor on the front-end, setting up the project plan, inputting the stages’ details, and assign steps to individuals one phase at a time.
The benefits: YOU GUESSED IT – It can save time, reduce errors, and improve the overall efficiency of the project. This can lead to improved outcomes, better team morale, and a stronger reputation for the business.
Now, it’s obvious that all of these are wonderful gains for your growing business.
A central highlight that you likely noticed was Saving Time. That precious commodity we all battle against scarcity and overwork to protect. This is on its own a huge, huge gain. Chad is undoubtedly a useful addition to our lives.
BUT (and this may be a Big But that we do not like), it is important to recognize the limitations of ChatGPT.
It’s beautiful and shiny, but we cannot pretend it is the sole solution to humanity’s workload problems.
There are also some potential harms to be aware of.
Briefly, here are 5 potential harms to overusing this technology (I’m confident there are more):
Reduced creativity
By relying too heavily on ChatGPT, businesses may be limiting their creativity and missing out on opportunities to innovate. It is creativity that drives our innovations and the honing of connection with our audiences/clients – so no one can afford to let creativity be killed.
Loss of personal touch
ChatGPT can be great for automating processes, but it may also lead to a loss of personal touch in customer interactions. At the end of the day, there are situations when you are reaching out for help and only a human will do! All customer issues are not automat-able… and since customer impact often drives the long term success of a business, this point can’t be ignored. (also note the hinted-at drawbacks in the above sections of Translation and Research that will always require a human in there somewhere)
Over-reliance on the technology
Overusing ChatGPT may lead to an over-reliance on technology, which can be risky in a rapidly changing business environment. If you cannot draft an email response to a meeting without ChatGPT’s help, you need to take a beat and evaluate some things.
Bias
Like any AI-powered tool, ChatGPT can be prone to bias based on the data it's trained on. It's important to ensure that teams are aware of this and take steps to mitigate any potential bias, always proofing any content that “Chad” produces to ensure there is actual evenness in its presentation. (this points you right back to the #2 drawback/warning above)
Security
In our hacker-saturated world, it has to be said. ChatGPT processes large amounts of data, so it's important to ensure that the data is properly secured and protected from unauthorized access. Any increase in reliance on information-processing software requires an equal increase in security protocols. Let’s stay smart in the midst of all this innovation!
Alright, this was a lengthy one, so I want to land the plane somewhere.
ChatGPT is another example of the incredible results of our own ingenuity and creativity as humans; we can’t ignore this reality. It truly is amazing what we’re already able to use it for and the productivity improvements that already exist because of it. If you haven’t given it a test drive, you should at least see what it’s all about.
BUT as we noted, it is important to recognize the limitations of ChatGPT and the potential harms of over-relying on this technology.
Just like how the explosion of the internet bred all levels of negative impact, and the creation of social media continues to ebb and flow with good and not-so-good impacts, the development of ChatGPT has great power. And as we all know: with great power comes great responsibility. So let’s try and learn this lesson on the front end and use it responsibly… am I asking too much of humankind? Maybe. Time will tell.
But at least you and I can choose to do that 🙂
