ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence Test: The Future of Writing?
ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence Test
Simon Erskine Locke,Founder & CEO, CommunicationsMatch™
In less than the time it took me to write this sentence, OpenAI’s ChatGPT wrote the following short essay based on the request “Write essay on why PR is valuable for companies?”
Interest in ChatGPT is exploding. I’m not the first to ask - Is the end of the line for writers?
I encourage you to read the essay (below in italics with no edits), the takeaways, and decide.
Public relations (PR) is a valuable asset for companies for a number of reasons. PR helps companies to establish and maintain a positive image and reputation in the public eye. This is important because a company's reputation can significantly impact its success. Customers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders are more likely to trust and support a company that has a good reputation. PR can also help to build brand awareness and loyalty, as well as to differentiate a company from its competitors.
One of the main ways that PR helps companies is by building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders. This can include media outlets, industry organizations, customers, and employees. By building strong relationships with these groups, companies can more effectively communicate their messages and values, and can also gather valuable feedback and insights.
PR can also help companies to manage crisis situations. When a crisis occurs, it is important for a company to respond quickly and effectively in order to minimize any negative impact on its reputation. PR professionals can help companies to develop and implement a crisis management plan, and can also assist with media relations and messaging during a crisis.
In addition to these benefits, PR can also help companies to achieve their business goals. For example, PR can be used to promote new products or services, to drive sales and revenue, and to support other business objectives. PR can also help companies to build partnerships and collaborations with other organizations, which can lead to new opportunities and growth.
Overall, PR is a valuable tool for companies because it helps to establish and maintain a positive reputation, build relationships with key stakeholders, manage crisis situations, and achieve business goals. By effectively utilizing PR, companies can position themselves for success and create a positive impact in their industries and communities.
As I watched ChatGPT assembling the essay, my first reaction was to breathlessly join the collective wow from all those marveling at the future unspooling before my eyes. There’s no doubt that it is deeply impressive.
The first takeaway is that the writing is clear and well structured. Human. Not literature or descriptive – but far better than some of the English I’ve seen in my career from actual humans. It’s clear that the grammar and punctuation and even the organization of the essay, follow the intrinsic rules that make what we write readable. High praise is there’s nothing in the writing that gets in the way of communication.
But writing is more than how words are put together. If we look at it through the lens of purpose, writing is about communicating ideas and ultimately driving a desired action. The measure here is, does the essay achieve its goal of explaining the value of PR?
Considering the input, a one sentence request, the output is a stunning achievement. The conclusion is a great summation of the pitch by professionals of the value PR provides. This should not be a surprise, because that is exactly what this is. The AI draws on and re-frames existing language. We are getting back what we collectively have written. While the essay is an original combination of words – it is not original thought or writing. This not a criticism - it is the feature that makes it possible to write an essay in seconds.
As communicators, writers, and editors, when we write or read text there is an additional dimension that will be hard, but not impossible, for AI to replicate – writing that engages audiences. When I read the ChatGPT text about the value of PR, it leaves me cold because it is saying what I know rather than providing new insight or perspective.
When we write as communicators, we focus on what is new and different, and try to express this in ways that will interest our audiences. To do this requires a deeper psychological level to our text. We write words and ideas in ways that are designed to resonate and propel others to read the next sentence or find out more.
Could AI generate language that creates the type of engagement that motivates audiences to action? At some point the answer may consistently be yes. But what we know as communicators is that we provide more than a well-structured combination of words – using them we express a point of view.
From this standpoint, the ChatGPT AI will not kill off writers (yet). But, there is a danger that by making it easier to generate readable, but essentially vacuous content, that we cheapen the art of writing, make clients less willing to pay for it, and audiences less willing to read.
Mass produced writing using these tools may be tempting but ultimately counterproductive. We may have more content but be dumber for it, because professionals and students alike will be tempted to research and wrestle less with what they write - the key to providing the unique perspective and insights that make reading worthwhile.
Simon Erskine Locke
About the Author: Simon Erskine Locke is founder & CEO of communications agency and professional search and services platform, CommunicationsMatch™, and a regular contributor to CommPRO.biz. CommunicationsMatch’s technology helps clients search, shortlist and hire agencies and professionals by industry and communications expertise, location, size, diversity and designations. CommunicationsMatch powers PRSA’s Find a Firm search tools, and developed the industry’s first integrated agency search and RFP tools, Agency Select™, with RFP Associates.
