Should You Jump on the ChatGPT Bandwagon?

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Everyone’s been talking about ChatGPT since its release in November 2022. The conversations range from describing it as a game-changer that will transform the way businesses use content to deriding it as the harbinger of death for writing as a profession. At this point, it’s far too soon to tell what kind of impact ChatGPT and other AI-driven bots like it will have in the long term.

Still, considering how new ChatGPT is and the attention it’s garnering, it’s reasonable to wonder if this tool is something that could be useful for your business.

Let’s take a closer look.

What is ChatGPT anyway?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered text generator owned by OpenAI that creates text-based responses based on user prompts. It’s the most recent addition to a new type of technology known as “large language model tools.” In plain language, these are tools that use rule-based machine-learning algorithms that crawl massive datasets and then use that data to generate content.

The concept of AI-generated content is polarizing. Artists have taken to Twitter in droves to express concern that their artwork is being used without their consent to “feed the bot.” Writers worry that a bot that can produce quality content will replace them completely.

Regardless, Pandora’s box has been opened and this technology is out there and available. As with every new technology that enters the marketplace, there’s always a learning curve in which everyone grapples with the long-term implications and looks for the most ethical and effective way possible to use this new tool.

The pros and cons of ChatGPT

Both people who are for AI-generated content and people who are against it bring reasonable arguments to the table.

People who like ChatGPT appreciate that it cuts down on tedious, time-consuming tasks associated with writing, allowing writers to be more efficient and improving turnaround times on projects. It also provides a good starting point when writing a complex and involved piece by summarizing what’s already known. High school students are often told to review Wikipedia for a summary of a given topic and a link to further research. This advice is also applicable to bots like ChatGPT.

Additionally, ChatGPT can be integrated into existing applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, which frees up the employees who manage those systems to address bigger issues while the bot handles mundane or routine questions or tasks.

On the other hand, anyone looking to start using ChatGPT in their organization should consider the potential negatives.

Many writers make a living by writing web content that exists primarily to improve a site’s ranking on Google. If this type of content can be produced in seconds by AI, the long-term implications for people who primarily do this type of work could be concerning.

The content produced by ChatGPT isn’t necessarily high quality — or accurate. It may also not match a client’s or business’s style or tone. A human editor will still be needed to review the content created and adapt as necessary, which could lead to unnecessary redundancies in time and effort. On top of that, AI-produced content runs a high risk of plagiarizing other content. A bot can’t think for itself and if two people use the exact same prompt, chances are good that the content produced will also be exactly the same.

Remember ChatGPT’s limitations

Businesses and other organizations that create content are finding innovative ways to use ChatGPT that optimize the tool and bring new and actionable insights without negative repercussions to their in-house creative teams.

Before giving the green light for its use in your company, however, remember these guidelines:

ChatGPT is only as good as the prompts provided. Think carefully when creating your prompt and analyze the content generated to ensure that the prompt was “understood.”
Content created is also only as good as the content being crawled. Watch out for hidden (or blatant) biases.
Generated content may contain errors. Review all content to ensure accuracy.
Use AI-generated content as a jumping-off point, not the completed piece. AI-written content can be detected by a variety of tools — including Google.

5 suggestions for using ChatGPT in your organization

Try these strategies as a jumping-off point. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Use elaborate, expansive prompts that define the audience, the tone of the answer and the goal of the content. You can even ask the bot to speak from the perspective of a well-known industry leader.
Have a “conversation” with the bot about your industry by asking it specific questions and then seeking out elaboration on the responses.
Use ChatGPT to convert a large piece of content (like a white paper) into smaller pieces of content in different styles, such as blog articles, emails and social media posts.
Ask questions that you’d like to ask your customers about your product. See what it says, keeping in mind that it’s pulling from sources across the web. You might get insights that your social media listening platform could be missing.
Ask specifically for content that defies the “typical” narrative or challenges assumptions about your product or industry. Are there good points that need to be addressed? These answers could help guide your next thought-leadership piece.

Final thoughts

ChatGPT and other AI-driven bots are not and should not be a replacement for human-created content. They are incapable of creative, independent thought, and while they can summarize an issue or pull content from all corners of the web, they can’t make the intuitive leaps and connections the human brain allows.

They can, however, be a powerful tool that frees up time that might be wasted on repetitive tasks, allowing people to make smarter connections and address issues that might not have been considered, which could result in the creation of more effective and thought-provoking written pieces.

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