Commentary: Here’s how I use ChatGPT to save time at my job

SINGAPORE: I will admit that I was among the sceptics when ChatGPT first launched in November 2022. As a communications strategist, I was worried about its potential to spread misinformation, foster lazy writing habits and impact creative roles like my own.

However, ChatGPT has firmly entrenched itself in my daily life. You’ll always find it nestled among my browser tabs and on my phone too.

It has evolved into an indispensable tool, housing prompts, serving as a language translator, even generating ideas for things to do during my downtime. I also relied on it to map out a week-long itinerary when I was in Barcelona last year.

In my job, ChatGPT serves purposes like summarising lengthy texts, crafting templates for scripts and presentations, assisting with Excel formatting and generating interview questions.

This has freed up time to focus on the human aspect of my role, such as creative brainstorms, relationship building and stakeholder management.

MORE FACE TIME WITH HUMANS

ChatGPT amassed 100 million monthly active users within two months of its launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. To put things into perspective, TikTok took nine months to achieve the same number of users after its global launch, while Instagram reached the same milestone after more than two years.

It’s not hard to understand why. Just last week, I worked on a business presentation and was amazed by the time saved with the help of ChatGPT. Normally, when I tackle a presentation, I spend hours brainstorming, organising ideas and meticulously wording each section.

When I fed ChatGPT the key points and objectives of my presentation, it churned out a coherent storyboard, including subheadings and a rough script in a blink of an eye. This allowed me to bypass the arduous initial drafting phase and dive straight into refining the content.

With ChatGPT handling the grunt work, I've been able to dedicate more face time to clients. Additionally, attending networking events and industry conferences has become a more regular part of my schedule, allowing me to expand my professional connections and stay abreast of emerging trends in the field.

Unlike traditional search engines, using ChatGPT is a two-way street. Akin to speaking to a colleague, I continuously fine-tune the way I delegate tasks to ChatGPT, striving to craft prompts that will produce optimal results.

What works best is being direct and laying out the ask as specifically as possible: “I want you to act as a project manager, providing insightful questions for our client” or “Summarise the following in 100 words, pulling out three key points that best describe the latest market trends in the tech industry.”

One hack I’ve learnt is to ask ChatGPT to build analogies based on my texts. This has two benefits. First, it helps me discover fresh ways to explain familiar concepts. Second, a wacky analogy can expose weak arguments. Sometimes, I ask it to spot holes in my writing logic. Most times, it catches my oversights, like skipping explanations for brevity's sake.

When it comes to content and storytelling, ChatGPT can adopt various tones. For example, you could go from asking ChatGPT to "Write a story about robots in a comedic, witty style," to "Give me a formal, insightful deep dive on how artificial intelligence is shaping our future."

CRITICAL ROLE OF CREATIVES

While anyone can utilise ChatGPT, it takes an expert to discern “sloppy” work. It can be jarring to the trained eye when content has been blatantly copied and pasted from ChatGPT.

Recognising this often involves a blend of intuition and experience. For starters, you need to be a regular user to recognise content generated by it in the first place. If the article has overly complex sentences or repetitive phrases, and lacks up-to-date, contextual data, you might be staring at a ChatGPT-ed piece.

As marketers, writers and artists, our role becomes even more critical when working with ChatGPT, particularly in the later vetting stages. While the software can be invaluable for generating a first draft, it’s our expertise and creativity that add depth, nuance, and polish.

Companies I've worked at have encouraged employees to utilise ChatGPT for tasks such as drafting the first cut of press releases, reports or strategic communication plans. The thinking here is that the first hurdle is often the most daunting.

Ultimately, it's up to us to infuse the writing with our insights, brand voice and creativity. This involves tweaking the language, adjusting the tone, injecting personality and ensuring coherence and consistency throughout the piece.

BALANCING EFFICIENCY WITH ETHICS

While many businesses may rely on AI as the initial layer of automation, there's a danger of content seeming aloof or impersonal under the guise of AI-driven efficiency. Clients may also baulk at AI being used in the services they’re paying for. How can companies overcome this barrier and win the trust of their clients?

Every organisation, big or small, should focus on being transparent. It's important to be honest about AI's role and not pretend content is completely original. Sadly, some organisations might skip this step, putting their reputation at risk by releasing AI-generated content without giving credit where it's due.

Beyond disclosing when they use AI, companies should also explain to both clients and employees how it helps produce more meaningful work.

Many worry about AI replacing their jobs but ChatGPT is another tool that can only bring you as far as you allow it to. It's a pattern we've witnessed time and again: New technology shakes up the world, and our adaptation determines our success.

Nicole Chan is a communications strategist.