The bot that chatted
Innovation from iteration, pt 3
No doubt you’ve seen much mention of AI in recent weeks.
From the uncanny valley self-portrait art generated by Lensa and Vana (it’s always the hands that disturb me).
To the many observations about ChatGPT.
It’s an incredible system that is a hint of things to come, and right now can be used as a good learning resource and to generate content, albeit for the most part generically.
You may not know this, but I’m a tech geek. I love tech, I want to understand it, and see how it can enhance how I work. I may also bore you senseless if you aren’t careful.
The thing is a lot of business tech doesn’t really enhance, it just allows you to do things differently.
Take video messaging. If you don’t have a good foundation in how to message properly, the main benefit of using video is that it is uncommon in use.
It’s the medium that stands out, not the message.
So tech sometimes just papers over the cracks in poor process.
Whereas for me, I get great responses through relevant, well-written messaging. Or by picking up the phone.
Given at some point I will be reliant on how I communicate, as I build a relationship with candidates and employers, that’s the skill I work on.
I can enhance my messaging by building on it with relevant tech if the situation requires it, but only when it’s the solution to a problem I have.
ChatGPT works much the same way. It’s an enhancement, but should not yet be a replacement for anything we do.
The system works by parsing information it has been fed (websites, articles and publications) and recombining it based on language rules, in a logical and natural-seeming way.
The limit of the data it has access to is 2021.
It is unable to learn from how you interact with it.
It is unable to do live searches on the internet.
It can’t tell you who the current Prime Minister is.
How do I know this?
Because I asked it.
Its real strength is tapping into the data others have created, and iterating it back to you with meaning.
The limitation, in content, is that it is reliant on what others have written, rather than creating anything new.
So, if you want a good baseline to build on, and value efficiency over accuracy and creativity, it’s great.
If you want content based on your specific needs and audience, it’s not so.
Try this:
sign up to ChatGPT
ask it questions or to do things:
Write me a job description for a Chief of Product and Technology
Write me a job advert for a Business Analyst
What does a Business Analyst do?
Write me a job advert for a front end developer who loves learning and trying new things, based on the principles of AIDA
What skills should a Front End Developer have?
What is ECMAscript?
What other languages or libraries might someone skilled in ECMAscript know?
Why would someone want to work at Bircham Wyatt Recruitment?
Tell me a good Boolean search string for a Marketing Executive
Write a nice haiku about recruitment: “Candidates arrive With skills and experience A perfect match found.”
Can you do a recruitment haiku with a seasonal kireji metaphor? “Candidates arrive With skills and experience Springtime blossoms forth.”
These are ideas that came to mind as I was playing around with it.
The more detailed your question, the better the response.
For more suggestions, check out Irina Shamaeva’s article on her website
Here’s another inventive application in recruitment:
Chatbot cheats recruitment test
As a learning resource for people new to recruitment, or to new areas of recruitment, it’s superior to relying on google searches, if treated as a starting point.
Just to reiterate, there is a significant issue in content generation, in that it can only iterate what has already been written by others. Given adverts are typically generic, so too are the results from ChatGPT.
I’ll assume you’ve read my previous newsletters on advertising, effective copy, what works and doesn’t work, and why you should care.
If you haven’t, feel free to message me, or check out the newsletter archive (https://gregwyatt.substack.com/archive).
AI can only improve from here, and I’m excited about the future.
For it to provide better content, it will need to interact better with end users and proactively learn from their responses, which I expect is another few years down the line.
I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you have found some interesting results of your own from the bots.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Greg
p.s. While you are here, if you like the idea of improving how you recruit, lack capacity or need better candidates, and are curious how I can help, these are my services:
- commercial, operational and technical leadership recruitment (available for no more than two vacancies)
- manage part or all of your recruitment on an individually designed basis for one client
- recruitment coaching and mentoring (one place available at £200/hr + VAT)
- recruitment strategy setting
- outplacement support
Just hit reply to check if my approach is right for you.