Two news stories caught my eye this week. 1) CNET, a hugely popular tech news outlet, has been quietly using AI to write articles since November of last year. 2) A.I. thought leader Nina Schick stated that she expects upwards of 90% of online content will be generated by AI by 2025.
I’m sure everyone is wondering – Hey, what does Rob think about Generative AI?
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been taking OpenAI’s Chat GPT for some trial spins to see how it handled a range of subject matter. Ancillarily (should be a word, and, I might add, it’s included in Wiktionary) I was wondering if AI was going to free up all the time I spend writing content.
I found it was quite good at generating answers to some, but not all, how-to questions. Do you need a recipe for Tikka Masala? Bang! How do I replace the convertible top on my Boxter? It copped out and told me the task was complex and time-consuming and I should contact a professional mechanic. (Probably true, to be fair.) Does ChatGPT use the oxford comma? It doesn’t have a preference, and ultimately, I must make that decision myself. Fair enough.
Where it really excels is in programming. Troubleshooting some PHP code? It will debug it, fix it, and explain the fix in simple terms. Want it to detect security vulnerabilities in a piece of code? Piece of cake. Reverse engineer shellcode? Easy. It’s much cheaper than hiring a programmer on Upwork for little one-off programming projects.
It will be a boon to spammers. It can rewrite phishing emails without the typos. No more emails telling me to renew my hosting that begin with “greetings! Or “Dear Customer.”
Back to my original purpose, other than curiosity, for playing with ChatGPT – will I be able to spend more time traveling or playing the guitar and less time writing. The answer? Not yet. The AI spits out very plausible sounding answers that are often wrong. That will improve over time but it’s not there yet.
When it comes to writing copy that’s nuanced, clever, or just plain funny, it fell short every time, and I gave it plenty of opportunities to shine. I mean, it seemed very nice and is a bit self-deprecating which is endearing, so I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt.
My favorite exchange was when I asked it to review itself in the style of Hunter S. Thompson. I’ll leave you with this:
I’ve been on some crazy trips in my day, but nothing compares to the mind-bending, reality-warping experience of interacting with ChatGPT. It’s like having a conversation with a sentient being, only this one can spit out information and insights faster than a speeding bullet.
But don’t get me wrong, ChatGPT is not without its flaws. It’s not always perfect, and it can sometimes spout off some gibberish that doesn’t make a lick of sense. But that’s part of the charm, like a rogue elephant charging through the jungle, you never know what it’s gonna do next.
“All in all, Is. It’s a wild, unpredictable, and sometimes terrifying journey, but one that will leave you with a head full of knowledge and a heart full of wonder. So strap in, hold on tight, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime with ChatGPT.”
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