As the tool transitions from curiosity to daily companion, enthusiasts explore its potential and uncover its constraints
In the upcoming month, ChatGPT will commemorate its inaugural year, a period during which many transformed AI from a futuristic concept into a daily reality. Despite universal accessibility, concerns have arisen, encompassing job displacement, disinformation, and plagiarism. Simultaneously, millions of users have been exploring the platform’s potential to simplify their lives.
Upon its launch, users initially harnessed ChatGPT’s whimsical capabilities, requesting it to play 20 questions or compose original songs. Approaching its first anniversary, people are utilizing it for a diverse array of tasks. While common applications include drafting emails, composing student essays, and crafting cover letters, with the right prompts, it can tackle more specialized yet equally practical tasks in everyday life. Here are a few examples that could prove useful.
Jargon demystifier
In a work meeting, accountants discuss GAAP operating income in Q4 of FY22, designers express concern about kerning, and the CEO asks for a detailed review of specific issues. Additionally, your British boss compliments your work as “quite good” but appears somewhat dissatisfied, while your American colleague praises everything as amazing. Users report using ChatGPT as a bridge to translate workplace terminology, ensuring that everyone understands the concerns you raised.
Pitiless critic
Occasionally, you seek an honest evaluation of your work, a candid assessment that your friends and family may hesitate to offer due to their kindness. For certain individuals, ChatGPT plays the role of that evaluator, although whether the term “real” fully applies is open to debate. A copywriter on Reddit shared, “I use ChatGPT to rigorously assess how my copy deviates from the audience’s expectations.” Some have discovered that it can even offer fairly constructive (albeit not flawless) feedback on fiction writing, identifying redundancies, lacking character development, or weak imagery.
There are, of course, ethical questions about the use of ChatGPT in work and school settings. In response, some argue that asking it to be your critic, and learning from its feedback, is a way to improve your writing without letting it put words in your mouth.
It’s not always an easy task: what it gives you depends entirely on how you structure the prompt. Some users find it tough to find the language to “convince” it to be harsh enough. And you’ll get more appropriate feedback if you give it a detailed task – “give me feedback” might not help as much as “I’m writing an essay for college – tell me whether it’s well-structured and clear.
Robot with feelings
Perhaps you’re not seeking ChatGPT to be harsh – perhaps it’s the opposite. Some users have requested ChatGPT’s assistance in composing more polite work emails, particularly when they’re concealing their frustration. As one user put it, “I write to it: please help me come across as less confrontational.
Sous chef
Dinnertime has arrived, and your kitchen is stocked with a half-eaten yogurt, a leftover chicken leg, a bag of flour, and some nearly forgotten tomatoes, which are becoming rather disappointing. Users have shared that ChatGPT has assisted them in crafting impressive meals from available ingredients or generating ideas based on their pantry contents and a specified grocery budget. Many users express satisfaction with the outcomes, though some recipes may appear rather unconventional: examples include garbanzo bean and cheddar cheese soup, a peanut butter and Nutella quesadilla, and a “carrot and grape salad with muesli crunch” (based on my own kitchen’s contents).
