A few years ago I saw pictures of augmented reality goggles and I thought to myself, “If I ever have to wear those at work, I’m switching jobs.” There are just some things that are so foreign to who I am that I could never be comfortable with them. Like those goggles.
And when I first started seeing AI, there were aspects to it that chaffed me the same way as the goggles. For example, I didn’t like the idea that there could be a machine that would “think” for me. And I didn’t like the idea of integrating digital technology into my life even more robustly. Afterall, I had always resisted smart speakers and voice assistants.
Today when I browse LinkedIn, my feed is full of dialogue about how and why AI is going to disrupt marketing. I just saw Sam Altman of OpenAI saying that Artificial General Intelligence will handle up to 95% of routine marketing tasks, freeing up human marketers to focus on higher value tasks. As an aside, whenever I hear prognosticators predicting that new technology will “free up humans…” I am wary. Ask weavers what higher value tasks they were freed up for with the invention of the power loom. I think it was called “unemployment.”
So I’ve been approaching AI with caution. But I’ve started to use it and, frankly, I find myself using it more and more. I have a paid ChatGPT account which I use almost every day. And in truth, I do use it for tedious things that I don’t enjoy that it can do very quickly. For example, I ask it to find functions and capabilities within the vast maze that is Google Ads. This has helped me to wring more value out of Google Ads. I ask it to crunch numbers and do the things with Excel that I never quite learned to do with macros. I also ask it to figure out tedious stuff like “what’s the fastest and easiest way to renew my driver’s license in New York State.”
I’m also starting to see how ChatGPT builds knowledge based on information I’ve fed in. For example, if I tell it to write a blog post with a particular tone and voice, it will easily repeat that in future posts. And weirdly, it seems to be getting to know me based on what I’ve entered. It knows that I’m a marketing consultant, that I offer certain services, and that I work with certain clients. Spooky but useful. And, of course, I’m barely scratching the surface of what it can do.
But I still have my hackles up and I’m starting to think about guardrails on how I use AI. Here are three that I’m start with:
Be open with clients about how AI has been used for their projects Don’t let AI creep into my personal, creative pursuits Don’t let it be a substitute for thinking These guardrails are evolving but they help me to feel comfortable using a technology that is so potentially transformative for good or for bad. Social media was like that too. It took me a while to realize that it could hook me and impact my mood and self esteem so strongly. And AI has even greater power, I believe.
So I’m going to use it, but I’m going to be careful with it.
