What Exactly is ChatGPT?

If you haven't yet encountered ChatGPT, it's a completely free AI text generation platform accessible to everyone. Developed by OpenAI, a research organization turned consumer tech company from San Francisco, it gained attention after receiving initial funding from Elon Musk back in 2015. Musk even served on its board until 2018, stepping down to avoid potential conflicts with Tesla.

While AI writing tools have existed for a while, ChatGPT's debut highlighted the incredible potential of text generation. Since its launch in November 2022, users have tested its capabilities, asking it to perform tasks like coding websites or identifying security flaws in banking systems. OpenAI has since made adjustments to the platform, realizing that the world wasn't fully prepared for such a powerful resource.

ChatGPT demonstrated that writing tasks, such as crafting newsletters or blog posts, could be completed in mere seconds, prompting me to investigate its utility further.

Using ChatGPT to Rewrite My Own Article

Honestly, I've resisted using AI for years. As a proud human, I always doubted that a machine could outperform me creatively. However, my perspective shifted when I discovered AI-generated art, which can produce striking visuals from simple prompts.

Reflecting on the everyday technology that relies on AI, I began to view ChatGPT not as a competitor, but rather as a virtual assistant. I conducted some initial research and asked ChatGPT for trending article topics, only to be met with a response stating its limitations due to outdated training data. Then I inquired about quotes from Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, and while it provided a list, the summaries were inaccurate.

So, I decided to simplify my approach. I had ChatGPT rewrite one of my own articles, chosen for its brevity and straightforwardness, making it an ideal candidate for AI assistance. This piece took me about 4-6 hours to write and has generated over $200 in revenue to date.

The experiment involved breaking my article down into sections and prompting ChatGPT to rewrite each part, ensuring the final output closely mirrored my original style. Afterward, I planned to publish it on Medium to see if readers could discern any differences.

What I Learned From the Experience

Initially, I realized that crafting effective prompts for AI writing is an art in itself. Generating an article quickly isn't as straightforward as it seems, contrary to what many tutorials suggest. Communication with AI requires clarity, much like training a new employee or teaching a child.

In my early attempts, I was too vague in my requests, leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. Eventually, I formulated a more effective prompt structure: "Write a [type of writing] on [topic] in a [tone of voice]." I also found that being specific helped significantly, such as asking for studies to support claims or limiting paragraph length.

With this refined approach, ChatGPT produced commendable results:

In just 10 minutes, I completed my first draft and transferred it to Medium, where I made final adjustments to the formatting and added a personal touch. Overall, the entire process took about 20 minutes, utilizing free tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and CoSchedule's headline tool.

Key Takeaways

Reflecting on this experiment, I found two main insights:

1. ChatGPT possesses impressive capabilities.
2. It still falls short of replicating the quality of human writing.

While it effectively accomplished its tasks, it didn't produce anything particularly groundbreaking. My exploration of ChatGPT has opened my eyes to several key points:

1. Job Displacement: For those producing basic content like blog posts or social media updates, ChatGPT could pose a threat. However, new opportunities may arise for those who can leverage this technology for bulk content creation.
2. Creative Opportunities: Personally, I dislike writing simple articles. The ability to delegate mundane writing tasks to an AI opens the door for humans to focus on more creative endeavors like storytelling and expressing emotions—areas where AI may never excel.
3. Efficiency in Writing: As noted by Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit, humans often seek habits to conserve mental energy. I see AI tools like ChatGPT as a means to free up cognitive resources for creativity. They can serve as virtual assistants for various tasks, such as drafting newsletters or brainstorming content ideas.

In my experience, ChatGPT has proven to be a helpful tool for idea generation, even providing guidance for new writers. Writing can often feel isolating, and having access to AI can inspire creative thought, even if the initial idea comes from a machine.

Final Thoughts on the Future

Technological advancements can be intimidating, especially when they threaten our passions. However, I hope this article reassures you. In summary, while ChatGPT boasts numerous impressive features, deep creative thought is not one of them—at least not yet.

Nevertheless, it serves as a valuable, free resource for tasks like brainstorming, mass content creation, and freeing mental space for creativity. Embracing these tools can be beneficial, and after this brief trial, I'm ready to welcome ChatGPT into the writing landscape.

Hi, I'm Hudson. I write about living a healthier, happier life and share writing tips on my YouTube channel. To receive stories directly, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter.