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Automatic content, the dream of many time-crunched creators. What could go wrong?
Jasper has offered AI-generated ad copy since 2021. Taboola added generative AI to their ad platform last month. But, as Google learned the hard way, you always need to check the facts.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, created an ad to launch Bard, a chatbot they developed to counter the popularity of ChatGPT (nicknamed Sydney by Microsoft). But when Bard’s first ad showed the chatbot in action, there was a factual error. The company’s market value dropped by $100 billion the next day.
This shouldn’t have been a surprise. If we learned nothing else from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” it’s that you should never completely trust computers. Sorry, Hal.
Bard, like ChatGPT, pulls ideas and facts from the online community. When CNET.com reviewed the bot they warned users, noting “ChatGPT doesn’t exactly know anything.”
Bots can help you brainstorm story ideas and turns of phrase. But AI needs a real storyteller holding the reins, or bot-generated content can hurt your brand.
When ChatGPT made national headlines last year, we spent a day writing with the bot and found four things storytellers can learn from bots:
- Beat blank page blues
- Find new angles
- Amplify your story
- Balance speed with strategy
In response to the blog post, Utility Pioneers across the nation shared their thoughts on how easy access to automated content may impact communicators.
“To quote one of my favorite ’90s bands: ‘All I need is a starting place, then nothing ever seems so hard.’ I have to admit, ChatGPT is pretty impressive,” Director of Communications for the Michigan State University Research Foundation Doug Snitgen says. He supported Utility Pioneers in Michigan for 12 years as executive vice president of the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association.
“It can be a great tool to provide writers and editors with a starting point (that blank page is so intimidating!), but I hope it never actually replaces the very human art of writing,” Doug adds.
“Before ChatGPT, there was StatsMonkey,” NRG Energy Communications Manager Chris Rimel says. “Bots are getting better, but in an evolving fashion. ChapGPT is the latest, and best, iteration. Trash in, trash out remains the critical differentiator between humans and tech.”
An early predecessor of ChatGPT’s abilities, StatsMonkey automatically wrote news stories about sporting events using online information in 2009. Bot abilities have grown over time; according to Forbes, the first chatbot, Jabberwacky, debuted in 1988. A.L.I.C.E (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity), added data collection from the web (with a slightly more terrifying name). Sydney — err, ChatGPT —is the latest evolution of this idea.
“There are really great resources out there, but so far no computer beats a human at being human,” says Sheila Corson, public relations coordinator at Okanogan County PUD and an adjunct professor at Wenatchee Valley College.
Wired magazine found some students view AI as another tool similar to spellcheck, a research assistant. The quality and tone of AI-generated content can be poor, often does not cite sources and — as Google discovered — can get the facts wrong.
“You and I already have established careers, so we can get on top of the technology and use our experience as a distinguishing virtue,” Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative Manager of Communication and Member Service Charlie McAlpin says. “With so much of their work done for them, I wonder how new communicators are going to get the experience and develop the discernment our jobs already demand.”
For new utility communicators, AI could become another tool to help manage time. But just as it’s important to learn how to spell without a nudge from Word, Utility Pioneers still need to develop industry knowledge and perspective to pair with AI-generated content.
At the end of the day, you are the trusted energy and broadband provider. An artificial storyteller can’t replace your mind, your expertise or the strategy you’ve developed behind your storytelling.
You know your community. You know your programs. While it’s nice to have a second opinion on writing style or a trump card for writer’s block, your knowledge base makes you the best storyteller for your utility.