Just following up on how ChatGPT is or can be used in our business, after we asked IT what it can do for us. After asking the platform to do everything from provide historical data to be used game notes to writing fictional game stories to doing initial press release drafts, we came up with some common sensical things that makes it easier…and maybe better to understand without fear of losing ones job. And speaking of jobs, interesting read from VICE about how some people are using the tool to do multiple jobs with less work (and oversight), a buzzworthy read that will ultimately fail its claims of “Making millions.” Also another good read on how it is being used in various ways is here.
First. ChatGPT is more of a toy than a tool. You can ask it questions, but it’s not robust enough to write high-quality work memos or school essays or power points. Yet the people behind artificial intelligence programs believe these systems will someday become a regular part of our lives, helping us in day-to-day routines.
Why, it will simply perform a task better than people can now. We don’t yet know what that task or the piece of A.I. will be fully, but the examples of time saving on a template for a press release, or having a model to better organize initial thoughts when we have a “dry” moment is almost as good as taking a walk.. Perhaps going forward it will be a task that seems small but nonetheless takes up time, like organizing a schedule or a media event. Or it could be bigger, such as drafting a detailed speech. Either way, the shift will be enough to get the public to widely adopt it.
What’s the analogy? Cameras in mobile devices. They typically take lower quality photographs than stand-alone cameras. But most people have embraced them because they are so convenient, packaged in devices most of us carry everywhere. That sort of usefulness is a much lower bar for A.I. to meet than creating the kind of all-knowing, all-doing A.I. depicted in science fiction.
If you think of A.I. in that way, adoption rapidly could improve further. The technology is built on data. And the more people use A.I., the more data developers can collect to adapt their programs.
It will be better, but not perfect. For example I tried to write something about a colleague using some career benchmarks, and tried to come up with a narrative around an elite athlete who might be retiring or starting a new career. The format looked good, the words adequate but it lacked a bit of feeling and well…it gave back data as “facts” that were just wrong.
So maybe the era of editors, proofreaders and fact checkers isn’t dead after all.
For those wanting to just do things that may seem mundane…game or event notes, media guides etc., maybe for repetitive data the platform works, but for innovative eye catching points, not there yet. Form yes, substance somewhat, feeling and nuance, not there.
Another key tool we bring up when talking to young people has also come up. A.I. that can code. People who don’t know how to code already use bots to produce full-fledged games, and some professional programmers use A.I. to supplement their work, but those who have an understanding of how the sausage is made will better understand how to make the sausage. So coding, even in its most rudimentary form, will help you use A.I. better.
Now of course we are just at the beginning of all this, and as we look back we will see how simple things may have been at the genesis of using A.I. It will accelerate and we will need to adapt. It can paint some stories for sure, but not the whole canvas, and for someone who enjoys using the brush, it is another tool for the tool bag.
Just don’t use the wrench when you need a screwdriver.
