By Alissa Heirigs On Message Strategy
“ChatGPT.” Whisper that in the ear of any copywriter and you’re bound to get a reaction. Everybody seems to be in one of two camps: They’re terrified it’s going to take our jobs in the next thirty minutes, or they think it’s an awesome tool with crazy-cool capabilities that they’re experimenting with any time they have a spare minute. There doesn’t seem to be much in-between.
So what is ChatGPT?
It’s been around for a little while now, but in case you’re not familiar with ChatGPT, here’s a little overview. It’s an AI language model that generates human-like text. It can do a lot of things. Answer your questions. Summarize text. Write and critique computer code. Write on a specified grade level. And so much more.
You can interact with it through an online interface that looks just like a chat window. You just type in your prompt, and it types back to you in real time — real fast. You can watch as it types and edits itself to serve up whatever crazy request you’ve given it. “Write 50 headlines about how cheddar cheese makes life better.” “Give me a blog post on the benefits of pine mulch.” “Generate a sarcastic 30-second radio script about hamsters.” Seems like there’s nothing it can’t do.
“Seems like” being the operative phrase.
Can ChatGPT replace a professional writer?
In a recent study, 66% of managers polled said they would gladly replace employees with AI tools if the work was comparable. So, is the work comparable? Can ChatGPT take the place of a professional writer? Just for fun, I asked it. Here was its response:
“As an AI language model, I am capable of generating human-like text on a wide range of topics, and in some cases, the quality of my writing can be comparable to that of a human writer. However, there are several factors to consider when determining whether I can take the place of a professional writer:
- Creativity and originality: While I can generate text that is grammatically correct and coherent, I am limited in my ability to come up with truly original and creative ideas. Professional writers often rely on their personal experiences, insights, and unique perspectives to create compelling and original content.
- Emotional intelligence: Professional writers are skilled in conveying emotions and building a connection with readers through their writing. While I can mimic human emotions to some extent, I do not possess the same level of emotional intelligence as a human writer.
- Industry-specific knowledge: Professional writers often have expertise in a particular industry or subject matter, which allows them to write in a way that is both engaging and informative for readers. While I can learn about various topics through my training data, I may not have the same level of domain-specific knowledge as a human writer who specializes in a particular field.
Therefore, while I can be a useful tool for generating written content, I cannot fully replace a professional writer. A human writer’s unique perspective, creativity, emotional intelligence, and industry-specific knowledge are valuable assets that cannot be replicated by an AI language model.”
Aww, stop it some more, ChatGPT! But seriously. If it isn’t going to totally replace your marketing department or your agency, how can you use it to your advantage?
Enter our ChatGPT webinar.
Check out Counterpart’s first-ever webinar on just this topic. You can watch it for free to get a solid introduction to the tool, including answers to these questions and more:
- What does the GPT in ChatGPT stand for?
- What is a neural network architecture?
- How was ChatGPT trained?
- What are ChatGPT’s strengths and weaknesses?
- How does ChatGPT measure up to the principles of message strategy?
- Does ChatGPT understand what makes a message effective?
- How can we use ChatGPT to save time?
- What applications is ChatGPT good for — and not so good for?
- What are the watchouts of using ChatGPT?
- What are the copyright implications?
Got a tough messaging project and the robot overlords can’t hack it? Get in touch with the Message Strategy Experts®.
