Where does this ChatGPT go from here?
Here’s yet another concern I have about ChatGPT for writers.
The best summation of what makes for great writing comes from Mark Ford:
“Great writing is one big idea, clearly expressed, with proof.”
Well, my fear is this: To get better at thinking and writing, you have to think and write constantly.
This idea of “use it or lose it” is true with many things. For instance, say you go to the gym to build muscle. If you then stop working out, you will eventually lose much of what you had gained.
It is the same with thinking and writing. Unless you practice these activities daily, you will lose much of your “writing muscles.”
Ipso facto, it logically follows that if we offload too much of the writing process to AI, we will lose our edge — and become crappier writers.
Here’s what I fear . . .
Now, if writing is peripheral to what you do, and not your core business, then that’s not such a major concern.
On the other hand, if writing is the main of what you do, why would you, instead of keeping your writing muscles strong, weaken them by relying on the “mental crutch” of ChatGPT?
My fear is this: that over-reliance on AI will increasingly cause our ability to think, write, communicate, and create to decline geometrically — if not exponentially.
That being said, I for one am going to keep thinking and writing using my human brain power.
And I urge you to do the same.
That way, if my fears are warranted, then when the masses become illiterate morons – -you and I will tower as intellectual giants.
You still come out ahead
Even if I am wrong, you and I still come out ahead, for 3 reasons.
First, as we age, keeping your mind active and engaged can help stave off cognitive decline.
Second, we will be of greater value — to our employers, those we care most about, and the world at large.
Third, without constantly thinking, learning, absorbing new information, making decisions, and solving problems, our minds atrophy. And we become bored to distraction. And also boring to others.
The bottom line: ChatGPT doesn’t care whether I become a senile old duffer. But I do.
And so I will resist giving up the pleasures and challenges of thinking for myself till my dying breath.
How about you?
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Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant with 3 decades of experience in business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing. He is the first AXIOMS EXPERT at Kallisti Publishing Inc.
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