AI is supposed to be a tool that enhances human efforts and increases productivity… And it is that.
But be careful. If you don’t watch what it is doing, it will take away your agency and independence. I love AI and ChatGPT, and I use them. Mostly, however, I would be embarrassed to say and to think that it is doing my thinking for me. So I instruct it carefully to use my voice and my style in all of my actions and requests. I do not ask it to think for me, and I don’t want it to. Look at this…
Last week, I spent a full airplane ride researching distribution for a client. I reviewed each website in our distribution channel to assess how they handled our product. I compiled a list with links and comments. It was my work.
Then today, I asked ChatGPT to reorder, alphabetize, and format my research for presentation. It did so, but somehow added a marker for ChatGPT to each of the URLs I pasted there. That was not my doing nor my request. It pissed me off, honestly.
The sad part is that I had to rebuke the system. I hated that. I told ChatGPT that I will cancel my subscription if it keeps doing that, especially without telling me.
What are we to do?
There is something to the idea of labeling “AI-written content,” and I suppose it can make sense to label “AI-assisted content,” but I don’t like it sneaking things into my work without telling me. I also fear that this is just the beginning.
What is going to happen to the next generation?
Either the next generation will master AI, or AI will master them. I know that when I see a very long, perfectly written communique, I get suspicious. I wonder, did that person really write this? Or was it an AI prompt result, cut and pasted? To be honest, I lose some respect for people doing that. I think the balance is somewhere in the middle. Certainly, I have used AI for years to improve my writing, grammar, and composition (Grammarly has been a go-to). I am distracted when I read content with grammatical errors in English, whether it is a book, an email, or a blog post. So there is a very good case for people for whom English (or any language, for that matter) is not their first language. It improves communication.
But we have to be very careful, 1. not to get lazy, and 2. not to give over our thoughts to AI. Monitor the output of your AI and make sure it does what you ask. If it doesn’t cancel your subscription, choose another one.
P.S. This article was written by me but was AI-Assisted (for grammar and spelling). Sheesh!
