Asking ChatGPT About Leadership, World Domination, and More!

ChatGPT from OpenAI is just one of the many artificial?intelligence programs making inroads into our society. And there is a TON of conversation about it in communications.

My colleague Mike Houlihan was part of a recent PRWeek article discussing how public relations professionals are approaching the emerging technology . The spectrum of perspectives is pretty wide here.

I'm excited about the potential, especially knowing that we are in a period of intense education and testing. Making the rules as we go along with AI feels very similar to the period roughly 15 years ago when social media was in a similar spot of business adoption. And while that certainly makes me feel old, the adoption of rule-shifting technology is a road I've driven before.

So I decided to interview ChatGPT itself about leadership and communications...while also asking it to confirm a question many people may be thinking.

Below is the transcript of the conversation. I did remove a few passages for clarity, but there are no edits on the questions or responses.

It wasn't intentional, but I had some typos in my questions that ChatGPT quickly figured out how to work around. (In my defense, I conducted the interview after watching my 6-year-old's first basketball game and the adrenaline was still pumping.)

Drop in the comments your favorite ChatGPT interaction!

Me: Hi, ChatGPT! I write a LinkedIn Newsletter about the intersection of communications and leadership. Can I ask you a few questions?

ChatGPT: Of course! I'd be happy to help you with your LinkedIn newsletter. What specific questions do you have in mind?

Me: What are 3 things leaders need to know about build successful teams?

ChatGPT:

1. Clear communication: Leaders need to clearly communicate their vision, goals, and expectations to their team members in order to build a sense of shared purpose and direction. This includes providing regular updates on progress and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise.
2. Empowerment: Teams perform best when they feel empowered to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Leaders should delegate responsibilities and give team members the autonomy to make decisions within their areas of expertise.
3. Building trust: Trust is essential for effective teamwork. Leaders should be transparent, consistent, and dependable in their actions, and should encourage open communication and collaboration among team members. Building trust also means recognizing and valuing the contributions of each team member and creating an environment that is inclusive and respectful of diversity.

Me: What is one thing leaders should avoid doing? Can write it as a sonnet?

ChatGPT:

Leaders must avoid being too dictatorial,

For that will lead to teams that are not free.

And when a team is not autonomous,

It cannot grow and flourish, as it should be.

A leader's role is not to dictate,

But guide and mentor, to help them find their way.

To give them room to make their own mistakes,

And learn from them, to grow stronger each day.

So let your team members lead and take charge,

And trust they will do what needs to be done.

For when a team is given the right space,

They'll rise to greatness, and your leadership will be won.

Avoid micromanagement and be a guide,

And your team will flourish, by your side.

Me: How will generative AI impact communications and marketing?

ChatGPT: Generative AI has the potential to greatly impact the field of communications and marketing in a number of ways. Some of the key ways it could be used include:

1. Content creation: Generative AI can be used to generate written content such as articles, social media posts, and email marketing campaigns. This can help save time and resources for businesses and organizations, and also allow for the creation of personalized content for specific target audiences.
2. Personalization: AI can help to analyze data on customer behavior, preferences, and demographics to create highly targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. This can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.
3. Sentiment analysis: AI can be used to analyze social media posts, customer reviews and feedback to understand customer sentiment towards a brand or product, which can inform marketing strategy.
4. Predictive modeling: AI can be used to analyze data and make predictions about customer behavior, which can inform marketing and sales strategy.
5. Virtual Agent: AI-powered virtual agents can assist in customer service and support, providing quick and accurate responses to customer inquiries 24/7.

It's worth noting that while AI is a powerful tool, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution and companies should consider how AI fits into their overall strategy, and how to use it in a responsible and ethical way.

Me: I have to ask - are you a super villain plotting to take over the world?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I don't have the ability to plot or take any kind of action in the real world. My purpose is to process natural language input and generate human-like text based on that input. I have been trained on a diverse set of texts, so I can respond to a wide range of questions and prompts. I exist to assist users and perform tasks such as providing information, answering questions, and helping with writing. I don't have desires, beliefs or intentions and I am not capable of taking over the world.

Me: One last thing! Knock knock

ChatGPT: I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're asking for. Could you please clarify?

Me: Knock Knock

ChatGPT: Oh! I see. I apologize for misunderstanding. Knock-knock jokes are a form of wordplay in which one person says "knock, knock" and another person says "who's there?" This is followed by a punchline, usually a pun on a person's name or an object.

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Boo.

Boo who?

Don't cry, it's just a joke.

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Alpaca who

Alpaca the suitcase, you load up the car

Or you can just tell me your own knock knock joke, I'll be happy to play along

Me: Thanks for your time, ChatGPT! Have a great weekend!

ChatGPT: You're welcome! I'm glad I could help. Have a great weekend! Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with in the future.