Being passionate about disruptions, I am always in pursuit of innovations that amplify and accentuate human capabilities. When ChatGPT was released, I was hooked. It was like a toy for me with which I could spend all my time. I had felt the same when I first used ‘Windows’. I was addicted like a maniac to the multi-media offerings in the PCQuest and Digit magazines. Even at the time of Uber’s launch in Hyderabad, being an innovator, I was jokingly referred to as Uber Joshi by most of my partners in crime. It was a boon for migrant bachelors who now had both safety and accessibility in their handheld smartphones.
As per the diffusion of innovation theory of technology adoption, I was already a ChatGPT innovator by late last year. In my experience as a brand person, I realised that much contrary to the brouhaha, it may not make a startling impact. Unlike Wodehouse’s Jeeves, ChatGPT is not capable of independent thinking and decision making. Jeeves is a highly competent valet and personal assistant who solves just any problem thrown at him. He is backed with his exceptional wit, intelligence and conviction. Nonetheless, I acknowledge that ChatGPT, so far, is a machine learning model designed only to provide relevant responses to human input.
I believe that ChatGPT has expanded the horizons of what our brains can accomplish. ChatGPT is like a trusty assistant, always ready to provide information and insights at the click of a button. It’s like having an intern or assistant who can do the grassroots-level work or even the heavy lifting. The human brain nonetheless, is still needed to make everything come together and create a truly exceptional result. ChatGPT can help generate ideas, provide insights, and even draft written material, but it still takes the human instinct to make it intelligent.
To be honest, I consider it to be a breakthrough in the world becoming a knowledge society. I assumed that there would be a natural adoption towards this evolution where the Human and the Machine collaborate together for highly efficient results. Therefore, I advocate for its inclusion in education so that it gives wings to imagination and creativity. Marketing and branding on the other hand, thrive on competition, empathy and innovation. That is where we will need the mind over the machine.
ChatGPT, I strongly believe, has commoditised skills which will lead to increasing the baseline of competition. The ability to write and present in English is no longer a barrier, and anyone with access to the internet can learn these skills. Specifically for India, the remotest villages will now have the best exposure and skill. This will only lead to creativity, innovation and competitiveness. It gives me immense happiness that this is going to be so beneficial for our youth and have so many socio-economic benefits. It also means that aiming for excellence is now within reach for many people. For various brands their blue ocean strategy will be ripe enough to kick in. The market will be ready because of the exposure and accessibility to information.
In my experience, yet, the AI becomes vexing at mid-point because it primarily kills your style. We are not used to the redundancy, the whirlpool of bla, the ‘I am an AI’ diplomacy and the bias. In fact, if unchecked, we may have a generation which articulates in just the same manner. Also, ChatGPT’s information is not updated. Much has happened in the intervening years, and the statistics it states are likely to be topsy-turvy. The trends changed drastically in the pandemic years. If you’re conducting research, making a presentation or even charting a brand’s opinion the outdated information can have a detrimental effect. For brand marketers it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest data and trends to ensure accurate analysis and informed decision making.
As a Man-Friday, ChatGPT can do all the grunt work, leaving us free to focus on the big picture. It might help us generate ideas, provide insights, and even write up a draft, but it still takes our human touch to turn it into believably special. All in all, I think ChatGPT is a pretty cool tool, and I can’t wait to see how it evolves in the future. Who knows, maybe someday it’ll be just like Jeeves – a personal assistant who can do it all! As Jeeves would say, “I endeavor to give satisfaction, sir.”
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Udit has worked with agnostic and expansive brands, and holds an affinity for the Technology sector. He believes in technology being the catalyst to human evolution. As a passion, he is leading the call for brands to leverage the world of Web3, Blockchain, and Metaverse.
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