"Why learn anything when you can get AI to do it for you?"

I saw that comment on a LinkedIn post by writer Yessica Klein on the back of the ChatGPT4 release this week. 

She said her heart skipped a beat as a lifelong learner and curious person. Her job as a writer is to make AI work in her favour and ALWAYS use critical thinking and fact-checking to ensure accurate information. "Yes, I'm a fan of OpenAI – but what will happen to critical thinking? Can we trust the feedback loop?"

I agree. It sets alarm bells ringing. Shallow thinking patterns? SEO-stuffing? Will we rely on AI too much for decision-making? I worry that short-sighted decisions are being made (letting writers/marketers go etc) based on new technology we don't completely understand yet. 

The AI space is moving at a dizzying pace. We need to let the dust settle and see the bigger picture. Integrate AI into our workflow and, learn more, upskill teams – right now, it seems to be solo writers and marketers tinkering around with it.  

Had to chuckle at this piece by Digiday on the AI race – all the latest developments. Pretty soon, we'll need our own AI to keep up with – and make sense of – the updates.  

Imagine when GPT5 rolls out… we'll be queueing up for brain transplants.

Fascinating to see some of the use cases – personalised learning - Duolingo's new AI-powered virtual tutor for £20 a month. The Icelandic government is using AI to preserve the country's language – fantastic.

I'm experimenting with ChatGPT – as a digital assistant. I’m excited to see how it can help me to be more productive and creative, but I can't see how it will save me time (too much fun). It reminds me of an ex who refuses to use Sat Nav because it sends you round the houses – the journey takes longer. He likes map-reading and using his brain. 

Very sensible :) Good to set some boundaries around it.

There are also copyright issues to resolve re creators' images and works, unintentional plagiarism etc. 

WIRED just published a piece on how they will and won't use generative AI tools – aggressive against its use. Smart move. Good to see them taking a stand. 

Writers must do the same and say how they use AI in their content. I should add it to my Terms of Service and website. One for #CopywritersUnite.

Interesting perspective from Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute. He says as more shiny tools flood the market, real content, human-made, will become more valuable. People will crave content that comes from human hearts and minds. 

I find that reassuring. It also means we can potentially charge more for our work ;-) Can you afford real human content?

I like the idea of having a 'Certified Human Content' badge or watermark for authenticity. I can't do that on my Substack posts - be interesting if a tech platform like Substack, as WIRED has, took a stand on it.

He also said we're having the wrong conversation. It's not about AI taking our jobs (it will create more work). LLMs are getting all the media attention right now, but AI goes much deeper than ChatGPT. We're talking about the personalisation of experience, content, and decision-making.

Autonomous human robots – one robot for every human on the planet – are the end goal.

Personalised newsletters - yes! I see the value in that. But what I really want to know is how AI will give us back time, extend our lives, and help our productivity and happiness?

I want to live to a ripe old age. A happy, healthy life frolicking in the Italian countryside. Reading books and writing with the sun on my back. Making olive oil, drinking local wine and eating tomatoes that taste like tomatoes… 

If AI can help me get there, I'm interested!! 

Companies need to make a shift in content strategy – a more human approach. 

And part of my strategy is saying no to things.

I've signed up for MAI's AI for Writers Summit on March 30 to learn more about ChatGPT and other tools – you can sign up here for free (courtesy of Writer.com). 

Nika 🦾

🔥The Shift Hot 5

LinkedIn launches ‘Collaborative Articles' – using AI to expand its content, beginning with a new initiative, which will use AI prompts to call on users for expertise and input. Smart move. It's harder to start a conversation than join one. To incentivise, they're also adding a Community Top Voice badge. Play the LinkedIn game! 

The Solo Author – Diego's Pineda's new book for solopreneurs. Enjoying this – actionable advice and exciting ideas on content marketing and thought leadership evolution. His niche is how to write a book and leverage it for your business. Check it out at soloauthor.com (free chapter). 

Newsletter Growth Tips from Josh Spector. 13 bite-sized videos on YouTube. Advice on finding your niche, free vs paid, building a content system, pricing ads, client acquisition and more. Super handy to have all this in one place – thanks, Josh. 

Building in Public Definitive Guide 2022 – a free guide to the ‘building in public’ movement from content creator Kevin Cheung. Benefits, channels, writing tips and his Public Lab. I'm enjoying Kevin’s column in Courier on audience-building and growing an online business. 

LinkedIn Podcast Academy: what does this mean for B2B creators? LinkedIn has launched an in-house podcast network featuring B2B-related news hosted by some of the platform's biggest B2B creators. Going all in on empowering B2B creators in '23 – great to see!

Leave a comment

Thoughts, questions, or topic suggestions?

I love getting letters from you – email nika@nikatalbot.io

Have an inspiring story to share? Get featured in a Creator Spotlight

Need my copywriting chops? See my services