ChatGPT: The future of the creative process or simply "well-written wrong"?

“Made no sense” and “Just flatly wrong” are only two descriptions that have been used to describe the outputs emerging from ChatGPT.?

There are people that may say that’s unfair. Others may say it’s spot on. But for the majority of people, it’s probably somewhere in between. And that presents a bigger problem.

The OpenAI platform has been live for a little over two months now and already been adopted by all manner of creators in a variety of different ways to add new dimensions to how they approach content creation.?

However, whilst it’s helping speed up the generation of ideas for some, or create base documents for future development for others, it’s also being used to subvert the creative process. Sometimes entirely. Whilst this may raise some concerns in the short-term, these examples potentially provide the best evidence for how the tool will be used in the future.

When Furman University philosophy professor, Darren Hick, caught a student of his submitting an essay generated entirely from the platform — one of the biggest giveaways of its origin was that it was?“well-written wrong”.??

This astute analysis was based not only on context — his knowledge of his student’s own ability and style — but the way in which the facts and analysis where presented. In some cases, without nuance. In other places, without the level of accuracy or detailed perspective that makes critical analysis so compelling.?

Now, there’s no denying ChatGPT is an awesome leap forward. Or a clear example of how powerful AI-tools can enrich and advance our lives. But when it comes to the written word, there is clearly still a long way to go.

Admittedly as a writer and former journalist, whose role is all about content creation, you’d probably expect me to say that. The tool even says so itself, declaring it “should not be relied upon as a sole source of content”. So, let’s look at why.

Any writer or content creator will naturally draw on inspirations from their life. They may stem from personal experiences, things they have read or watched or just from causal observations and conversations. That rich material provides a wealth of fuel for new ideas to flourish and for originality to emerge.

ChatGPT uses learned patterns to reach similar outputs — but without the ability to decipher comparisons with previous works or with a true understanding of the context and audience it’s intended for. And that is where Hick’s essay writers underestimated the drawbacks of using it.

On the surface, ChatGPT content outputs are objectively well put together to a high standard. But when deeply examined, cracks are clearly visible. This level of emotional intelligence is a key point of difference and where content writers earn their crust.

Anybody can write words. But it’s the meaning and story that binds the individual words together that gives them their weight and value. Whilst the creative that surrounds them provides the flair that makes them stand out and deliver impact. If you can fold in rich insights and data, that message, impact and value only strengthens further.

That’s not to say ChatGPT is not without merit. It absolutely is. Demand is incredibly high. So much so it (currently) often returns error messages or the inability to properly harness its capabilities. Whilst that’s not great when you’ve got a deadline and need to come up with 10 different SEO-friendly headlines to help accelerate your article up the search rankings, it does highlight that users are flocking to it in increasing numbers?because it’s providing value.

It's success will be determined by how effective users understand how best to input the necessary commands to ensure its outputs are valuable and useful. That’s a skill in itself that will no doubt be something many attempt to master in coming months.

But outside of that, those who are looking to commission content or evaluate whether or not they could get the same outputs from the tool as they could a real human, should tread carefully.

Content writers should not be scared. For one, in its own words, ChatGPT “may not always produce the highest quality content”. But it “is not necessarily bad for content creation” either.

When you need to generate text in seconds, fast responses to questions to accelerate the production process, or tap into a knowledge base outside of individual capabilities, ChatGPT’s value is clear for all to see.

But that all requires context and understanding. Conversations and discussions need to be had around investment vs output and value vs return. And it all comes down to choice, and where our perceptions and interpretations lie. ?

So just like when you go to buy a suit or dress for that special occasion, choice is paramount. We can go to the high street and purchase something off-the-peg, which may or may not fit as desired. Or, we can opt to get something tailored to our measurements and individual specifications. One may serve the purpose and “do the job”. The other, is well-crafted and fulfils its purpose and then some.

Content creation will be no different. “Made no sense” and “Just flatly wrong” may on the surface be driven and influenced by opinion. But as our lens sharpens to whether something is “well-written wrong”, or even “badly written right”, will ultimately depend not on the tools we choose to use, but the value we place on finding “the right fit” for the occasion. ?