The AI Debate

I have to confess. Up until a week ago, I had no idea how far artificial intelligence(ai) had come.

It was only upon my nightly Buzzfeed browsing that I saw an article about how a student at Princeton had developed a program to determine if college students used ai on their papers that I became aware.

Then, like clockwork, the next day it came up during a podcast from ECAMM Live Network News hosts Fuljens Henry and Ana Gil that I got to see the multitude of places that ai had permeated.

I turned to LinkedIn and ran two polls. The first poll asked:

Is it acceptable for jobseekers to use AI?

The second question asked:

Is using AI for content creation now acceptable?

Awareness of Bias

Before I delve into the results of the polls and my opinion of AI usage, I want to be very honest to those reading this.

I had to try to remove my biases in order to look at this with an open mind.

Though I appreciate certain technologies, I am very much old school in certain regards.

For example, I hate kindle's. I don't have one, do not need one, never will have one. I love books and it is sacred to me.

Digital cameras? It took me YEARS to get one. I grew up as a photographer. I developed my own film, and loved the process of moving the pictures from chemical to chemical creating something completely original.

For a long time I did not believe in things like Netflix or watching tv via the internet.

Heck, I even held onto my Blackberry way longer than I should have because I did not want to switch to android and definitely not iPhone.

Frankly, I did not want to open my mind to AI utilization because my first instinct was that it was cheating.

Removal of Bias

The only reason I decided to look into this is because of my community.

When some of my best friends say that they are using AI, I have to question my own opinion to see if there is more to it.

It does not mean that my opinion WILL change, but I have the respect to do my due diligence prior to proceeding. Even then that opinion has the ability to change over time.

Poll Results

P1.

P2

Poll Result Interpretation

For Poll 1 asking if it is acceptable for jobs seekers to use AI in their job search, the overwhelming majority said, 'YES' is acceptable.

The most common utilization of ai based on comments was the curation of cover letters and email correspondence which enhanced what a job seeker would normally do in addition to decreasing the overall amount of time per application.

**A number of comments stated, 'If companies can use ai to eliminate candidates why can't we use ai."

Really quickly, the number 1 misconception about recruitment is surrounding what an ATS actually does. While, I will not spend the time to get into it, one thing I can verify is that an ATS does not eliminate applicants, recruiters do.

Poll 2 offered a lot different perspective. While the majority still felt that ai is acceptable, it was a lot closer. In fact 41% said it is not acceptable or they are not sure.

Many respondents stated that they use ai as a baseline, while they curate the content to their specifications.

Perhaps a better way to put it is that they are using it as a base stock and adding ingredients to make it their own.

Others highlighted that using ai can be the difference between getting stuck with writer's block and pushing out content.

My Final Take: Jobseekers

Prior to providing my opinion, I want to be clear that it is just that, my opinion. I am by no means the final word when it comes to ai, job seeking or content creation.

Let's start with 'Do I feel ai is acceptable for job seekers?'

This is a complicated question. Primarily because the #1 reason most people I have spoken are using ai in the job search is for cover letters.

The thing is...I believe cover letters are outdated, unnecessary and generally a complete waste of time.

The entire idea of why they were created was to give job seekers an opportunity to explain why they are the right fit for a company, but how do you do that in 3-4 short paragraphs? There is zero room for creativity and when you consider that recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a resume, do you really think they are going to get to the one slither of personality you may get in there?

Give me a break.

This is why I love LinkedIn. I encourage people to show their personality in a variety of ways from the banner to the about section and so on. A proper profile will more that allow a recruiter to pick up everything they would from a cover letter only without the agony and exhaustion of constantly trying to reinvent yourself for different companies.

My Verdict

Until I learn about other ways that job seekers are using ai in their job search, I see nothing offensive that I would object to.

Coming to this conclusion actually surprised me. I expected to be completely against it. The difference is, if you want to use ai to solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place then I can't judge.

My Final Take: Content Creators use of AI

Content creation comes easy for me. I love writing and storytelling is as natural to me as eating pizza...but I know that is not everyone.

I understand that coming up with ideas and pushing out even a few paragraphs can be damn near impossible for many.

My Verdict

This was a lot more black and white to me.

If you use AI to create content, I can not consider you a content creator.

A content curator? possibly but not a creator.

To me, it is cheating. It eliminates the art and more importantly, the heart of putting out something into the world that is uniquely your own...

It is hard for me to elaborate and be eloquent because of how close I am to this.

I am very aware I may alienate people with my opinion and I respect that.

The thing is, we can all use some help sometimes. But, when we rely on that help all the time, then we start to lose the essence of what makes us special.

I look at all the amazing creators I have seen over the last three years and I don't ever want to see a time when that goes away and is replaced by automated posts.

Conclusion

Down the line, maybe my opinions will change. I may be proven wrong, heck, I may even be proven right. Nothing is 100% certain.

I just hope that whatever way the new wave goes that it is done responsibly.

Sincerely,

Dan