ChatGPT can write a funny poem about a peanut butter sandwich, but it doesn’t know how to write an effective email to the Dean’s office at my university with a subtle question about our hiring policies.
Cal Newport. My thoughts on ChatGPT.
This is a great example of why you should avoid focusing on what AI (or any technology) can’t do. The statement above was true when it was published, but it’s no longer true. ChatGPT can now read your institution’s hiring policy, point out inconsistencies and areas of misalignment with the stated values of the institution, and write an email to the Dean in any number of tones you choose.
Every time we position our abilities in the gaps of things that AI can’t do, we paint ourselves into increasingly smaller corners, because next month AI will be able to do the things we said were ours. And when you position yourself alongside the list of things that AI can’t do, your value decreases as AI becomes more capable.
Instead of defining your role in terms of what AI can’t do, it’s a far more effective strategy to define your role in terms of what you can do with AI. This way, as the capabilities of AI increases, so does your career capital.