ChatGPT & Creators: What's Next?

*This is an opinion piece that is entirely written by a human :)

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” For a long time, I considered this quote as one of my core values, believing in the power of written words and how they can change the course of someone’s life. I always took pride in being a writer and having the ability to use my “mighty pen” to express myself, share my story with the world, and shed light on the stories that matter.

I started writing at a very young age. It all began with argumentative essays and Arabic compositions and ended with articles covering fintech-related topics. And when adulthood hit, my love for writing evolved into a passion for journalism and storytelling. For years, I was taught how to develop my writing talent to editorial mastery (which is still a work in progress). Then, everything changed.?

“A robot wrote this entire article. Are you scared yet, human?”?The headline popped up on my old laptop screen two years ago. Aside from the intriguing concept, glimpsing the logo of the household name, The Guardian , made me read the entire?piece?instantly. It was jaw-dropping and fascinating. How can an AI machine be as expressive as a veteran journalist? At the time, the thought that this reality was far-fetched and futuristic eased my mind. I thought this will only be possible in 2055 when I’m old and grey. Little did I know that it was closer than I thought.

Fast forward two years later, or more accurately five days ago, this very AI machine-a more updated version-traveled at 4G speed, reaching?1M?users?in only a few days. In case you were living under a rock, #OpenAI created #ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that generates original content based on prompts and has taken the internet by storm. And, let me tell you I wasn’t very happy about it. This technology can do the work of a junior content writer in a few minutes with a tap of a button! It challenged everything I learned as a writer/ journalist. It felt like someone told the 5-year-old me that Santa doesn’t exist. A few questions arose: What does this mean for creatives and content writers? Will we be replaced by technology?

I started reflecting on how this technology can impact my writing career. Then, I had a memorable conversation with a fellow creative, Danny Arafa , which allowed me to see the whole ChatGPT saga from a different perspective. “What’s next?” was the most pressing question I had during our conversation, to which he replied that change was coming. It is inevitable. He said that being scared of the AI-Chatbot won’t slow down its development. All we have to do is ride the wave.

He shared a few insightful tips that would be of great help if you are a writer/ creative living in this ever-changing world. So, here are two golden tips on how to ride the wave:

• It’s time to step up our game

“Jack of all trades, master of none" seems a little outdated today. We are almost in 2023; it’s about time to step up our game and acquire a new skill set.

• Harness its power

"AI doesn’t have any opinions or writing style," Danny said. Hence, it would be smart to focus on creating opinion pieces and invest time to develop your unique voice, which couldn't be replaceable by any technology.

What does ChatGPT think?

Following the journalism rule of impartial reporting, I asked ChatGPT whether it will replace human writers. Luckily, it doesn’t seem that it has plans to take over the world just yet :)

Keep the conversation rolling in the comments. Do you think ChatGPT would replace writers?