Is ChatGPT The End For Freelance Writers?
WRITTEN BY RILEY EHRENBERG - CHARLENE & CO. EDITORIAL TEAM
ChatGPT, OpenAI’s new generative AI model, uses natural language processing to interact with users in a humanlike conversational way. It can answer questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, reject inappropriate requests, and assist with composing music, creating logos, and writing emails, essays, scripts, and code.
According to an analysis by Swiss Bank UBS, ChatGPT is the fastest-growing app in history, having garnered over 100 million users since its public launch in November 2022. Due to it being free, effective, and easy to use, it has become an increasingly popular tool for enhancing and hastening work amongst professionals and companies across a wide range of industries. Based on a March 2023 survey, conducted by WordFinder, the tech industry has used it the most (62%), followed by healthcare (59%), and marketing (56%). Most have used it to generate ideas (41%), create content (20%), and respond to emails (14%). Bill Gates referred to ChatGPT as “revolutionary” and “the most important advance in technology since the graphical user interface”. He believes AI will change how people work, learn, travel, access healthcare, communicate with each other, and improve education and the climate. These are common sentiments of those in favor of the development of AI like ChatGPT.
Despite these positive sentiments and ChatGPT’s undeniable success and effectiveness, many people are against the development of this AI. For those against, its mastery of learning and language, and ability to efficiently assist with tasks related to customer service, analysis, knowledge management, and writing are causes for concern. Major concerns surround the use of it in the workplace. Some worry people will secretly misuse it to take on some of their work and some fear it will take over their jobs entirely. With ChatGPT’s potential to take on professions in industries from finance to media, this is possibly people’s biggest concern.
Freelance writing has long been regarded as a profession rooted in the unique blend of creativity, expertise, and the ability to connect with diverse audiences. However, with the emergence of technologies like ChatGPT, the landscape of freelance writing is poised for a transformative shift. Powered by advanced artificial intelligence, ChatGPT exhibits remarkable capabilities in generating human-like text and offers unparalleled efficiency and convenience to clients. Equipped with extensive training on diverse topics and the ability to adapt to various writing styles, ChatGPT presents a persuasive case for a future where it could potentially fully take over the job of a freelance writer.
However, while ChatGPT's language generation abilities are impressive, it still lacks the inherent human qualities that define the art of writing. Freelance writers bring a deep well of creativity, intuition, and empathy to their work, enabling them to craft engaging, thought-provoking content that resonates with readers on a profound level. The human touch, personal experiences, and unique perspectives they offer are invaluable and cannot be replicated by a machine. Writing is an art form that thrives on the intangible aspects that make us human, emotions, life experiences, and the ability to evoke genuine connections. While AI technology continues to advance, it is unlikely to fully capture the essence of what makes great writing truly remarkable. Therefore, even in a future where ChatGPT may become more sophisticated, the human element and the depth of understanding it brings will remain essential in delivering exceptional, impactful writing.
Using ChatGPT to prove points in articles about ChatGPT is a trick that’s quickly tiring, but it’s effective. The previous two paragraphs were written using it, and while they weren’t generated seamlessly, they were persuasive, eloquent, and impactful. Before trying out ChatGPT, I held many of the opinions I asked it to express: it lacks the human qualities that make writing an art, only writers possess the ability to create content that resonates with readers on a profound level, writers are safe because a machine can’t be trained to be human. I still stand by these opinions, but I must admit, if I hadn’t known I was reading the words of a machine, I don’t think I’d question whether they were written by one or not. I’m afraid I can’t affirm the job security of freelance writers like I once would have. Because I’m not sure it matters that AI can’t live the human experience when it can appear to understand it.
