ChatGPT: A Marketers Dream or Doom?

By now everyone and their mother has heard how the latest Chatbot, ChatGPT, is changing the world. From having over 1 million users on its first day of service to recently passing the US law exams, no technology has caused this much awe and controversy since the release of Microsoft in 1975. But what’s all the hype actually about? And is it really going to really replace millions of jobs world-wide? That’s what we’re here to find out.  

What is ChatGPT? 

ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI. It’s a type of artificial intelligence that is trained to generate human-like text based on a given input.  Capable of generating human-like text based on the input it receives, it can be used for a variety of natural language processing tasks such as translation, question answering, and text summarization. It is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture, which uses deep learning to generate text. 

ChatGPT was trained using a variant of the transformer architecture, on a large dataset of text, using unsupervised learning. This means that the model was not explicitly given any labelled examples to learn from, but instead was able to learn patterns and relationships in the text by analysing the data on its own. During the training process, the model learned to predict the next word in a sentence, based on the context of the words that come before it. As it makes these predictions, it adjusts its internal parameters, or "weights," to improve its accuracy over time. This process is repeated many times, with the model seeing millions of examples, until its predictions are highly accurate. Giving it the ability to create a sentient like experience as well as create long form content at the click of a button.  

By the way... those last two paragraphs were written by ChatGPT.  

Where is ChatGPT used?   

One major sector ChatGPT is evolving is the customer service industry, as it is reducing the need for 24/7 human customer care. Just think about any experience you’ve ever had with an online customer service AI bot. We've all been there, usually when trying to get a refund for that online purchase you definitely should not have made, you’re sat talking to some dunce AI that can’t answer any question past confirming your order number and all you need to know is how to make a return, but you can’t work out the exact sequence needed for the AI robot to understand what you’re trying to achieve. 

That’s where ChatGPT comes in. Its unique algorithm allows it to not only understand the point of your question to a far larger scope than previous AI, but it can also answer back with follow up questions as though it were human. Bringing a wealth of online customer service opportunities for those looking to step away from a full human workforce.   

Its advantages don’t just stop in the retail sector though, anyone who writes long form copy could use it to their benefit. From marketers to journalists, to policy makers to lawyers, any job that needs large amounts of writing from human workers can use ChatGPT to its advantage. However, with the ethics of using any copy AI system in the workplace still very firmly in the grey area, ChatGPT’s sophistication has led to many industries and education authorities banning the site’s use in official documents in a bid to prevent the bot from overtaking written content production.  

But is ChatGPT really going to take over the copywriting world?  

ChatGPT vs the Copywriting World    

Since its release in Silicon Valley, ChatGPT has been at the centre of several controversies as a result of its ability. From New York Schools threatening to ban the site form student use to limit students committing plagiarism, to many industry professionals expressing their worry of an AI takeover, ChatGPT is a polarising subject.  

The use of AI in marketing has been an industry standard for a number of years now, with many turning to the code whenever they need some extra information to cure an unexpected writer's block. But due to the AI output’s standard robotic voice and lack of cultural/ niche subject knowledge, it is limited to the same function level as the Microsoft Word Thesaurus.  

But the release of Copy AI calls that into question. With its use of tone and constant learning, many are questioning whether it could be used to replace many jobs currently undertaken by specialist marketers, in particular copy writers and Digital Advertising Specialists. As younger generations turn to Chatbots instead of learning valuable writing skills, it’s inevitable that it will slowly bleed into the marketing work force and in time the need for excellent copy writing skills simple won’t be essential to the job.  

But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Yes, making sure individuals can read and write text that makes sense is essential, creating longform content doesn’t have to be a job requirement if a machine can take over. After all, like it or not we are living in a digital world and it’s clear from past digital revolutions that those who refuse to adapt will unfortunately suffer. From the rise of social media forcing all businesses to need an online presence in order to survive, to a global pandemic causing all marketers to become fluent in the art of online events, our working lives are irrevocably intertwined with evolving technology. 

Why should ChatGPT be the exception?  

Preparing for the future of marketing 

Don’t despair though. It’s easy to see new technology such as this and think that your job is a risk of being taken over by a machine. Jobs that involve heavy amounts of copywriting will be impacted by ChatGPT, but not necessarily in a negative way. Think back to when Microsoft Excel was released, every accountant FREAKED out because they feared their job would become irrelevant, when it actually just made their job easier. They had more time to take on clients, perform more services, and evolve the way they work to create a better outcome. Excel can’t work without humans, but humans can work without excel.  

That’s the way we should be looking at ChatGPT. Yes, the initial thought of change can be scary but it’s going to happen whether we like it or not, therefore we must make that change work for us. Moreover, ChatGPT isn’t perfect. While the answers are amazing when you view it as a robot, many of them still need editing to be grammatically correct or to fit with the needed tone of voice.  

Something that only a skilled copywriter can do.