Today, anyone (including me) can figure out how to use ChatGPT (Open AI) to create content. It can produce blogs, marketing materials, video scripts, and more. This generative AI tool is free and can be helpful. But there are some serious issues to note. Here’s my take on how I’ve been using it and what you should consider if you use it for your business.
The good
Enter the question or subject you want covered and in a matter of moments you get a full article, or at least points to include in an article or whatever content you’re trying to create. I’ve found this helpful to:
- Organize my thoughts on a subject. The material generated by ChatGPT flows in an understandable manner. I’ve found this to be useful in how to approach a topic.
- Not overlook some aspects of a subject. Because ChatGPT does research for you, it may find areas of a topic you never considered. It induces you to look further.
If you ask ChatGPT “what are the benefits of using it to generate content,” you get a numbered list of 17 factors:
- Efficiency
- Versatility
- 24/7 availability
- Scalability
- Consistency
- Multilingual support
- Reduced human error
- Enhanced creativity
- Data-driven insights
- Accessibility
- Language assistance
- Learning and training
- Consistent brand voice
- Reduced workload
- Cost-efficiency
- Rapid prototyping
- Privacy and confidentiality
The bad
My advice: don’t use the AI-written material as presented. It can create problems for your business because:
- There may be inaccuracies. A New York attorney used ChatGPT to create a legal brief that was filled with fake judicial opinions and legal citations. Will those who are duped into using false information be subject to ridicule, losses, penalties, or other sanctions?
- You risk copyright infringement. Authors’ works are being used by AI without permission. A class action lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that ChatGPT uses material from books and other texts that were “copied by OpenAI without consent, without credit, and without compensation.” It may be quite a while before there’s any decision on the case, but it raises the question: Do authors have any protections against unauthorized use by AI?
- It may not have your “voice.” The text created by AI is straightforward. It may not reflect how you like to say things. It certainly doesn’t include your insights, experiences, and opinions.
If you ask ChatGPT “what are the drawbacks to using it to generate content,” you get a numbered list of 16 factors:
- Quality and accuracy
- Lack of content understanding
- Bias and fairness
- Ethical concerns
- Human oversight requirements
- Lack of creativity
- Inability to think critically
- Limited long-term memory
- Data privacy
- Overreliance on AI
- Training data limitations
- Cost
- Complexity
- Loss of human touch
- Legal issues
- Limited multi-model abilities
Final thought
ChatGPT is a tool, not a substitute for your writing efforts. As with any tool, it can save you time, help you be more efficient, and enable your business to grow. But just because a jackhammer can demolish cement, you wouldn’t let go of this tool and expect it to do the job on its own. If you use ChatGPT, don’t let go.
