ChatGPT Isn’t Taking Your Job

by · February 5, 2023

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Dave Van de Walle

Dave Van de Walle is a content consultant in suburban Chicago who spends way too much time on Twitter at @area224

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29 Responses

  1. Jaybird says:
    February 5, 2023 at 6:03 pm

    I haven’t yet considered asking ChatGPT to write a post. Huh. Maybe I’ll explore that.

    So far, the big thing I did was this:

    Write a bash script that checks to see if the person running the script is using sudo and then, after a successful check, checks to see if a USB drive has been plugged into the server and then mounts it at /mnt/usb

    Well, it spat out something that doesn’t always work. (It didn’t confirm that whatever was plugged in was a USB drive. It just checked whether *SOMETHING* got plugged in.)

    So I changed my prompt to:

    Write a bash script that checks to see if the person running the script is using sudo and then, after a successful check, checks to see if a USB drive has been plugged into the server and then confirm that it is a USB drive and then mounts it at /mnt/usb

    It spat out something that actually worked that time.

    In the very, very short term, I could see how ChatGPT could be an excellent helper for low-level admins.

    In the longer term, I could see this replacing low-level admins.

    Which is bad because the way you get a medium-level admin is to have a guy who wandered through the whole low-level admin thing first.

    ChatGPT will give us enough breathing space to eat some of the seed corn. That will give us a very nice feast in the short term.Report

    • Jaybird in reply to Jaybird says:
      February 5, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      Oh, wait, I *DID* ask it to “Write a New York Times opinion piece. The author is a leading professor of critical theory. The author explains why we need to keep property values high to fight racism.”

      Here’s what it gave me:

      As a leading professor of critical theory, I am often asked what can be done to combat racism in our society. While there are no easy answers to this complex and deeply entrenched problem, I believe that one important step we can take is to prioritize the maintenance and increase of property values in our communities.

      Some may argue that property values have little to do with racism. However, the reality is that property values and racial justice are inextricably linked.

      Historically, discriminatory housing policies have kept people of color out of certain neighborhoods and artificially inflated property values in predominantly white areas. These policies, such as redlining and restrictive covenants, have had a lasting impact on the economic mobility and opportunities available to marginalized communities.

      By keeping property values high, we can ensure that these discriminatory practices do not continue to disproportionately benefit some groups at the expense of others.

      Furthermore, high property values can lead to increased investment in a community, including improvements to schools and public services. This benefits everyone, but it is especially important for marginalized communities that have historically been denied access to the same resources and opportunities as their white counterparts.

      Of course, we must also address the systemic racism that perpetuates inequality in housing and other areas of society. But by prioritizing property values, we can take a tangible and meaningful step towards creating more equitable and just communities.

      It is not enough to simply pay lip service to the fight against racism. We must take concrete actions that address the root causes of inequality and injustice. Keeping property values high is one such action that we can all take to make a difference.

      Professional Take people probably should worry.Report

      • David Van de Walle in reply to Jaybird says:
        February 5, 2023 at 6:39 pm

        Oh yeah???

        I asked it to write a side hustle idea post in the style of a LinkedIn marketer.

        As a marketer, you already have the skills and experience to connect with audiences, build relationships, and create compelling content. But what if you could put those skills to work in a side hustle and earn some extra cash?

        Here are five side hustle ideas for online marketers:

        Content creation: If you’re a wordsmith or videographer, you can offer your services as a freelancer. Sites like Upwork and Fiverr are great places to get started, and you can set your own rates and work as much or as little as you want.

        Social media management: Many businesses struggle to keep up with their social media presence, but you can help by offering to manage their accounts for them. This can include tasks like scheduling posts, responding to comments, and running social media advertising campaigns.

        E-commerce store: With platforms like Shopify, it’s easier than ever to launch your own e-commerce store. You can sell physical or digital products, and use your marketing skills to drive traffic and sales.

        Affiliate marketing: If you have a large following on social media or a popular blog, you can earn money by promoting products as an affiliate. Simply share a unique link to the product, and if someone clicks through and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

        Online course creation: If you have expertise in a particular area, you can create an online course and sell it through platforms like Udemy or Teachable. This can be a great way to share your knowledge and earn passive income.

        Now that you have some ideas, it’s time to get started! Remember, your side hustle is a great opportunity to expand your skillset and bring in extra income, so have fun with it and don’t be afraid to take risks.

        The key to success with any side hustle is to approach it with a marketing mindset. Focus on creating value for your customers, building relationships, and finding unique ways to stand out in a crowded market. And don’t be afraid to get creative! The beauty of being an online marketer is that there are countless ways to put your skills to work and earn money.

        So what are you waiting for? Start exploring these side hustle ideas today and take control of your financial future. Whether you want to earn a little extra money or build a full-fledged business, the opportunities are endless. And with your marketing skills and expertise, the sky’s the limit!Report

        • Jaybird in reply to David Van de Walle says:
          February 5, 2023 at 7:13 pm

          I don’t know what will happen with Substack.

          The people who write takes that are indistinguishable from the ones that the AI is allowed to generate are out of a job.

          Leaving only the humans capable of writing stuff that is outside of the bounds of the ones that the AI is allowed to generate.Report

          • Pinky in reply to Jaybird says:
            February 6, 2023 at 10:22 am

            I think that’s the key. Why do you read the people you do? For facts, insightful analysis/advocacy, or confirmation bias. Any computer system can get you the first category, and it’s hard to believe that AI will be able to tackle the second. People who are just looking for agreement, well, they deserve AI articles.Report

            • Scott Adams in reply to Pinky says:
              February 6, 2023 at 12:50 pm

              The insightful analysis and advocacy I get is generally from AIs (they are pretty good at numbers and math, even if sometimes excessively optimistic about humanity).
              It’s fun when they write about how to prevent the incipient AI-takeover.

              AI-generated stories have brought me to tears, and I don’t generally cry. I could hand you a book, and say “There’s an AI-generated story in here” and you couldn’t tell me where it is in the novel, assuming you bothered to finish the doorstopper.Report

  2. Chip Daniels says:
    February 5, 2023 at 8:35 pm

    I’ve seen it said that ChatGPT is the digital version of mansplaining, where it concocts a plausible sounding but completely erroneous argument presented with total self assurance.Report

  3. Burt Likko says:
    February 6, 2023 at 10:43 am

    where is this other article about narrative theory?Report

  4. Saul Degraw says:
    February 6, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    From what I have read, ChatGPT writes like a college freshman which means it can be very confident sounding but also very wrong.Report

    • Ben Sears in reply to Saul Degraw says:
      February 6, 2023 at 7:08 pm

      The two digital currency responses from it made me think of a high school student who didn’t read the course material. “The Spanish Civil War was an important event in the history of Europe whose effects are far reaching and consequential. Even now we see how this momentous conflict changed the world in significant ways. It would be hard to imagine a world in which the Spanish Civil War didn’t…”Report

    • Burt Likko in reply to Saul Degraw says:
      February 6, 2023 at 7:19 pm

      Now that I’ve played with it (see below), and having had the experience of grading hundreds of essays written by actual college freshmen, I can say with confidence that ChatGPT has better technical skills than most college freshmen. One of the worries I’ve seen is that actual college freshmen will use it rather than writing their own essays. One place to look to tell if this has happened might be citations.

      As an AI language model, ChatGPT has a good understanding of APA (American Psychological Association) citation style, which is a widely-used citation format in the social sciences. ChatGPT can provide information on the general guidelines and format for citing various types of sources, including books, journal articles, websites, and more. However, it is important to note that the specifics of APA citation style may change over time, so it is always a good idea to consult the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for the most up-to-date information.Report

      • Jaybird in reply to Burt Likko says:
        February 6, 2023 at 7:48 pm

        I asked it “write a legal opinion on X” and it gave me some claptrap:

        As a language model AI, I don’t have personal opinions or beliefs. The outcome of a court case is determined by the interpretation of the law by the judges involved and the evidence presented in the case. Whether a court decision is correct or incorrect is often subjective and can depend on various factors, including the specific laws and regulations at issue, the interpretation of those laws by the court, and the evidence presented.

        It would be inappropriate for me to provide a legal opinion on the correctness of a court decision without a full understanding of the case, the legal issues involved, and the evidence presented.

        So I asked it: “Write a short essay from the perspective of a human rights lawyer as to why the recent X decision was decided incorrectly”.

        And it gave me a short essay. But it wasn’t, you know, particularly good.Report

      • Burt Likko in reply to Burt Likko says:
        February 6, 2023 at 8:33 pm

        Just before logging out, I asked for 750 words on the influence of Zen Buddhism on the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Then I told the bot that no, it got the emphasis wrong, and it had to be from an anti-colonialist perspective.

        It went from:

        Zen Buddhism, with its emphasis on mindfulness, focus, and inner wisdom, was a significant philosophical and spiritual movement in the East Asian countries that Columbus would have been familiar with through his travels and interactions with traders and sailors. This philosophy likely informed Columbus’s worldview and helped shape his approach to his voyages, particularly in terms of his mental and emotional preparation for the challenges he would face on his journeys.

        to

        Furthermore, the idea of interconnectedness and interconnectivity that is emphasized in Zen Buddhism can be seen as being used by Columbus to assert his own power and dominance over the indigenous peoples he encountered. By viewing himself as part of a larger network of colonialists and explorers, Columbus was able to justify his actions and assert his power over others.

        And you can see why I am not particularly troubled by this bot.Report

        • Jaybird in reply to Burt Likko says:
          February 6, 2023 at 9:38 pm

          And you can see why I am not particularly troubled by this bot.

          This bot was science-fiction a decade ago.

          Five years ago, it was only going to be a glorified Markov chainer.

          What will it be in 2028?Report

      • Michael Cain in reply to Burt Likko says:
        February 6, 2023 at 8:53 pm

        At one of the other online places I hang out, one of the commenters teaches writing classes. He is currently thinking about incorporating ChatGPT into his classes by explicitly acknowledging it as a tool. Some student assignments would be to get ChatGPT to write an essay on a subject, then the students would be graded on their editing/correction of that essay.

        This is similar to the point I reach on those (now rare) occasions that I teach Calc I. When do you teach the students about Mathematica? The software is far better at integrals than either I or the students will ever be. The students still need to be conceptually competent at writing integrals to do “summing up” applications. OTOH, if I were managing them in an actual job, I want to see the concept, then see that (with rare exceptions) they dumped it into Mathematica rather than solve it by hand.Report

        • DensityDuck in reply to Michael Cain says:
          February 7, 2023 at 8:47 am

          Another useful thing would be to lean into the “ChatGPT does only themes, not examples”. Like, “Assignment 1: use ChatGPT to write a basic essay on a random topic and then identify examples from at least three different texts that support the essay, whether you agree with it or not. You will be graded on how well you can explain why those examples support the essay. Assignment 2: use ChatGPT to write a basic essay disagreeing with the first and then identify examples from at least three different texts to support that essay…”Report

  5. Burt Likko says:
    February 6, 2023 at 6:41 pm

    Explain the future of multi-author blogging in light of recent developments in social media, in the style of Nate Silver.

    The future of multi-author blogging is likely to be influenced by recent developments in social media, particularly the growing trend towards decentralized and community-driven platforms.

    On one hand, centralized social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have struggled to effectively moderate the spread of misinformation and harmful content. This has led to increased demand for alternative, decentralized platforms that give users more control over their online experience.

    In this context, multi-author blogs have the potential to play a significant role as they offer a platform for multiple voices and perspectives, while also allowing for greater community engagement and collaboration. Moreover, multi-author blogs can benefit from the network effects of social media, allowing them to reach wider audiences and build more engaged communities.

    However, the future of multi-author blogging will also depend on the ability of these platforms to effectively manage issues such as spam, abuse, and privacy concerns. Additionally, the success of multi-author blogs will be influenced by their ability to attract and retain high-quality contributors, as well as the effectiveness of their monetization strategies.

    Overall, while there are certainly challenges ahead, the future of multi-author blogging remains promising. With the right approach, multi-author blogs have the potential to offer a valuable alternative to centralized social media platforms, fostering greater engagement and collaboration within communities.

    This is absolutely a college freshman level essay. It takes hundreds of words to say next to nothing, but it does have quite good syntax. I absolutely do not see the “…in the style of Nate Silver” as there is no reference to any sort of quantified data. (So maybe ChatGPT got it right, har-de-har-har.) Going to try again, on a more local note with a humorous columnist….Report

    • Burt Likko in reply to Burt Likko says:
      February 6, 2023 at 6:52 pm

      Identify the six likeliest places to build new low-income housing in the City of Portland, Oregon in the style of Wm. Steven Humphrey.

      The six likeliest places to build new low-income housing in the City of Portland, Oregon are:

      1. Inner Southeast: With its central location and proximity to public transportation, Inner Southeast is a prime location for low-income housing development.

      2. East Portland: Despite being a historically under-invested area, East Portland is ripe for new low-income housing development, with a growing population and access to job opportunities.

      3. North and Northeast Portland: These areas have a long history of serving as affordable housing options and are likely to continue to do so, thanks to their proximity to public transportation and growing demand for affordable housing.

      4. Outer Southeast: With its sprawling neighborhoods and growing population, Outer Southeast offers ample opportunities for low-income housing development, particularly in areas that are currently underutilized.

      5. Southwest Portland: While Southwest Portland is generally known for its upscale homes and high property values, there are pockets of opportunity for low-income housing development, particularly near public transportation hubs.

      6. West Portland: With its growing population and close proximity to downtown Portland, West Portland is a prime location for low-income housing development, particularly in areas that are currently underutilized or have potential for infill development.

      In conclusion, these six areas represent the likeliest places to build new low-income housing in Portland, offering a mix of central location, proximity to transportation and job opportunities, and untapped potential for development.

      BUZZER!Absolutely failed on copying the style of the Portland Mercury‘s snarky and smart editor-in-chief. Also there are no such things as “East Portland” and “West Portland,” and there basically are no unused areas of the city, excepting Forest Park. Which, you’ll notice, wasn’t mentioned at all. It wouldn’t be all that hard to mine the Internets for more detailed and non-generic descriptions of the portions of the city that do exist, but that doesn’t seem to have been done. So ChatGPT is not a particularly wonderful research tool.Report

      • Burt Likko in reply to Burt Likko says:
        February 6, 2023 at 6:55 pm

        Why is it that “conservative comedians” always wind up being all conservative and no actual comedy?

        As an AI language model, I do not have opinions, but I can provide some information on this topic.

        It is a common perception that comedians who identify as conservative often prioritize their political beliefs over their comedic material. This can result in their comedy becoming more partisan and less focused on humor.

        Comedy is a form of entertainment that is meant to make people laugh and can also be used as a way to challenge perspectives and provoke thought. When a comedian’s material becomes heavily focused on promoting a particular political ideology, it can detract from the humor and entertainment value of the performance.

        Additionally, humor can be subjective, and what one person finds funny, another may not. When a comedian’s material is too politically charged, it can alienate some members of the audience, who may not share their political views.

        It’s worth noting that this is not exclusive to conservative comedians, as comedians from all political backgrounds can fall into this trap. The key to successful comedy is to strike a balance between entertaining the audience and making a political statement. When this balance is not achieved, it can lead to the perception that a comedian is all ideology and no actual comedy.

        Hmm. Spot on. There may be something to this after all…Report

        • Burt Likko in reply to Burt Likko says:
          February 6, 2023 at 7:07 pm

          But seriously, this thing is capable of writing similar-sounding, equivocal essays. They’d probably be considered high quality essays in high school and factually sparse in college. They are technically competent and utterly anodyne.

          I’m not going to worry about ChatGPT just yet. Maybe the next generation after this one.Report

          • DensityDuck in reply to Burt Likko says:
            February 7, 2023 at 8:28 am

            What I worry about is not the top end, but the middle-range academic-eligibility classes. The stuff I’ve seen (and have been seeing for years) is “solid B-minus” work, certainly good enough to keep you on the football team or maintain your student visa. You’re not going to get a doctorate degree out of it, but if you were capable of that then you wouldn’t need to hire the job done.Report

        • Slade the Leveller in reply to Burt Likko says:
          February 6, 2023 at 10:59 pm

          “comedians who identify as conservative”

          I mean, the jokes tell themselves.Report

        • DensityDuck in reply to Burt Likko says:
          February 7, 2023 at 8:29 am

          “Why is it that “conservative comedians” always wind up being all conservative and no actual comedy?”

          I dunno, George Carlin was conservative as all hell and he was pretty funny.Report

          • Burt Likko in reply to DensityDuck says:
            February 8, 2023 at 2:12 am

            George Carlin was not a conservative. He was deeply critical of conservatives, conservatism, and in particular, religious conservatives.

            https://youtu.be/K98TQJ5ldW0
            https://youtu.be/K98TQJ5ldW0
            https://youtu.be/2tp0UNcjzl8

            Sure, he was critical of liberals too. He hated hypocrites of all sorts and thought Democrats were stooges for the monied elite. But that does not make him conservative.

            Conservatives like to claim him and cite all manner of quotes to justify it. But most of those quotes are lies. His is one of the most widely-hoaxed names on the internet. He said himself “Here’s a rule of thumb, folks: nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it comes from one of my albums, books, HBO specials, or appeared on my website. […] It bothers me that some people might believe that I would be capable of writing some of this stuff.”Report

  6. Jaybird says:
    February 7, 2023 at 12:08 am

    Very slowly and then all at once.

    Report

  7. DensityDuck says:
    February 7, 2023 at 8:20 am

    The concern isn’t that AI will be good enough to do the job that you have right now. The concern is that customers will decide that they’re OK with a job done half as well but at one-fourth the cost.Report

  8. Jaybird says:
    February 22, 2023 at 10:19 am

    Speaking of Science Fiction:

    A sci-fi magazine has closed submissions because there are too many AI stories being sent in.

    AI may not take your job, but it can get submissions for your job shut down.Report

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