#156: The Risks and Opportunities of ChatGPT

Mar 16, 2023

Today’s episode features several guests who all have an interest in ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Their varying backgrounds and experiences in tech, writing and editing provide unique insights into the potential and risks of generative AI such as ChatGPT.  

ChatGPT has risks and opportunities. Most of us are hearing how ChatGPT plagiarizes, how we can’t fact-check what the sources are, and how formulaic and repetitive the writing is. But we also have to remember this is the first iteration of this program, and it—or others like it—will continue to improve. I don’t think it’s going away. 

We have to use ChatGPT with a lot of caution, but it does have benefits for freelancers right now, including helping you brainstorm and generate article and project ideas, do some research (as long as you fact-check it), and even write headlines. 

In today’s episode, my guests provide their unique insight into what all this means for freelancers. My guests are: 

1. Tori Liu, president and CEO of the Association for Intelligent Information Management
2. Ernie Smith, a writer for Manifest content marketing agency and a technology nerd
3. Michelle Rafter, a longtime freelance writer and former business reporter
4. Adrienne Montgomerie, a longtime freelance editor who teaches editing at Canadian universities
5. Ben Pines, director of content for AI21 Labs, which has developed its own generative AI tool called WordTune.

Resources:

• The Washington Post article that mentions that ChatGPT makes up information when it doesn’t know the answer (type “Vincent” to go right to that section): “We asked ChatGPT to plan the perfect tour of D.C. Here’s how it went.”
• Tori’s blog post: “Unpacking ChatGPT for the Information Management Industry”
• Ernie’s article in Vice: “Are Google and Bing’s Chat AI Going to Change Search Forever?”
• Adrienne’s series Editor Vs. AI
• Michelle’s LinkedIn posts
• AI21Labs’ WordTune
• Futurism article: “CNET’s AI Journalist Appears to Have Committed Extensive Plagiarism”
• The New York Times: “A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled”
• The Associated Press (AP) has been using AI since 2014! “Unlocking the power of AI: 6 lessons from AP for publishers”
• American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) virtual conference June 13-15

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