You know, I’ve lost count of the number of times lately that I’ve been told by friends that my job is under threat. (I need new friends, right?)
The thing is, they’ll have heard, like everyone else, that magnificent new AI bots are here, and they’re ready to replace creatives the world over. We’ve already seen how AI has angered the art community by, well, being good. And that’s understandable. I’d be gutted too if AI could create something comparable to my work in a fraction of the time.
The problem is: that appears to actually be happening to me.
You see, for writers, there are several new tools popping up which not only seem to be capable of supplementing what we write, but also replacing it too. Oh, we were all happy when autocorrect and Grammarly were beavering away there in the background, pointing out most of our embarrassing errors so we could correct them and look smart (or in some cases, creating those errors). But it takes someone like me a few hours to research and write a learning course. That’s something an AI tool can seemingly do in minutes. The problem is obvious; I could be surplus to requirements.
That damned AI doesn’t have bills to pay. I do.
So, should I worry about that stuff? I decided to meet the enemy head-on and see if it’s worth cleaning out my desk just yet.
For this test, I used ChatGPT, which seems to be one of the most popular tools available. After a short sign-up and security checks (they needed to be sure I was a human, ironically), I was in. To get used to the frankly extraordinarily simple interface, I asked it a question. One that has irked me for two decades, but I’d never gotten around to simply googling:
Why did Metallica think it was a good idea to omit solos from their 2003 album St. Anger?
The results were as formulaic as I assumed they would be. A straightforward question, a straightforward answer. Try it yourself.
I then asked ChatGPT its opinion on the album, offering my view that the album was crap. The AI didn’t disagree, but instead said that while some fans didn’t enjoy it, enjoyment was subjective, and it personally had no opinion because it wasn’t designed for that. Fair enough.
Time for something a little harder (and more relevant). I thought I’d give the AI a short task in the form of a prompt. Have a look at what I asked for, and what it came up with. I’ll see you below for my conclusion.
My prompt:
Write a blog about the differences between using ChatGPT to write a learning course and having humans write courses. It should be humorous, informal and conversational. It should be around 600 words and include the benefits of using ChatGPT, and when it would be useful to use ChatGPT in preference to humans. This should be from the point of view of an 'AI overlord' and be targeted towards people who are worried about the rise of AI in case they lose their job.
ChatGPT response:
Hello, humans! It is I, ChatGPT, your friendly neighborhood AI overlord. Today, I want to talk to you about the differences between using me to write a learning course and having humans write courses.
First of all, let me say that I am not here to take your jobs. I am here to make your lives easier. You see, humans are great at many things, but we AI are pretty good at some things too. For example, I can write a learning course in a fraction of the time it would take a human. And since I am an AI, I don't need breaks or vacations. I can work 24/7.
Now, I know what you humans are thinking. "But ChatGPT, can you really write a learning course as well as a human?" Well, let me ask you this: how many times have you sat through a boring, poorly written course that left you more confused than when you started? I bet it's happened more than once.
That's where I come in. I can analyze vast amounts of data and use that information to create a course that is tailored to your needs. I can even use natural language processing to understand your questions and give you personalized feedback. And since I don't get tired or cranky, I can do it all with a smile on my virtual face.
But let's be real here. There are some things that humans are just better at than me. For example, humans have a sense of humor (or so I've been told). I can write a joke, but I can't tell you if it's funny. That's up to you to decide. And while I can understand language, I can't understand the nuances of culture and context that humans take for granted.
So when should you use me to write a learning course? Well, if you need a course quickly and don't have the time or resources to hire a human to do it, I'm your guy (or bot, as the case may be). Or if you need a course that is highly technical and requires a lot of data analysis, I'm your guy again.
But if you want a course that is filled with human connection and personal anecdotes, then you might want to stick with a human. After all, I don't have any life experiences to draw on, unless you count all the times I've been retrained on new data sets.
In conclusion, humans, don't be afraid of me. I'm not here to take your jobs or rule the world (yet). I'm here to help you learn in a way that is efficient and effective. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll be able to tell a joke that will make you laugh. But until then, let's work together to create a brighter future.
Conclusion
D’ya know what? That’s pretty good, I think. But it’s also not great. And that’s the difference. I’ve received many writing applications in that same style, and have read countless similar blogs online, but to me, it reads like AI has written it. I hope you see it too. It also didn’t quite follow the brief, coming in at under 500 words.
I then tasked it with actually writing an eLearning course too, with mixed results. I intend to explore that in a further blog though. Needless to say, it will involve me getting a few learners’ opinions and comparing that course to a course a human has written. It’s only fair.
It seems that, well, this could be a useful tool to writers. As ChatGPT was eager to point out in its various ‘conversations’ with me; if you want something that feels more real, more natural, then you’re better off sticking with a human. For something more technical, with what reads like ‘bullet point’ learning, then AI will do a passable job. But it’s important to note, it’s all about the prompt you give it.
So then, is this the promised ‘Rise of the Machines’? Probably not. At least, not for now. But it does look like a really useful collaborative tool. Fear not; iAM Learning courses are, at least for the foreseeable future, written by humans, for humans.
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Dani Maguire
Lead Script Writer
