ChatGPT is taking over the world. OpenAI released a new chatbot using their GPT large language model (LLM). LLMs are AI tools that can “understand” and respond to text input. ChatGPT has provided easy access to high-quality text-based AI. As a result, ChatGPT has been all the rage within the tech space.
Twitter has been full of people sharing different use cases they have found for ChatGPT and some have been pretty amazing. From writing scripts, mimicking conversations between historical figures, and producing full-length essays ChatGPT appears to do it all. It almost feels like it can do it all a little too well…
While the tech nerd side of me was blown away, the aspiring writer side of me couldn’t help but feel this was going to diminish the value of good writing. I have written posts about the value of writing, and seeing what was possible with ChatGPT made me question if these things still hold true. It has been a month since my last post and part of this delay was due to feeling discouraged about writing.
However, now that ChatGPT has been out for about a month and I have been able to see how it can be used, my belief in the power of writing has been restored. There are a few reasons why I do not think ChatGPT will diminish the value of good writing, and will even increase it.
0 to 1
The hardest part about writing is the blank page. Once you have an idea and an outline of what you want to say writing is just filling in the blanks. ChatGPT can be used to make this process of going from 0 to 1 easier by brainstorming ideas and quickly prototyping an outline. I believe that this will be a powerful tool that can be used to increase the quality and quantity of writing.
Ideas
ChatGPT is not going to become the next Feynman or Girad. The output of ChatGPT is based on the text and ideas that the model has been trained. This means that the value of original thoughts and ideas will not be diminished. I would even argue that because there will be more content being produced, the quality of content will depend more strongly on the ideas it contains. This is an important point. Since anyone can quickly produce an article using ChatGPT, one of the primary ways to distinguish one’s article is to have better ideas. This means good writing must also contain good ideas.
Prose
The writing done by ChatGPT is generic. This is satisfactory in many cases, such as an email, but often the quality of prose matters. Consider two books with identical story lines but one is written by Hemmingway and one by ChatGPT. I don’t think anyone would choose the book written by ChatGPT. The magic of a Hemmingway novel is in the prose, this is something that ChatGPT cannot compete with.
Thinking
Writing makes you think. One of the main reasons I have expressed in the past about why writing is important is that it forces you to think deeply. When putting words on a page there can be no ambiguity about what you think. In this way the act of writing itself is beneficial. When using ChatGPT one does not gain any clarity in thought.
Communication
Commincation is important. It is unrealistic to use ChatGPT to handle all of your communication for you. It will still be important to be able to communicate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Improving your writing also means you are improving your ability to communicate, both written and verbally. One cannot rely on ChatGPT for this.
Will ChatGPT have an impact on the writing game? Yes of course, just as previous technologies such as the printing press and the internet have also changed the writing game. ChatGPT is another tool in a writer’s toolbox, which when used correctly can improve the quality of writing. Writing is here to stay.
– Mitch
Quote of the Week
The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away. - Linus Pauling