AI and the Spark of Authenticity

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With the rapid adoption of large language models (LLM) models like ChatGPT into the corporate world, it's not hard to see that any job that requires sitting in front of a computer screen and critically thinking about what to type is bound to be disrupted. Even the mission of this website, and its focus on actionable analytics is at risk.

I predict in less than 18 months most companies will be leveraging some form of generative AI in their day-to-day decision making, and not for trivial things, but for decisions like whom to hire, and which products and services to sell and at what price. AI seems inevitable and unstoppable, as the benefits will stampede the risks -- at least initially. Anecdotally, I've heard salespeople say that ChatGPT has transformed their ability to write email solicitations, and marketers rave over the ability to generate advertising copy, and programmers applaud the SQL statement it generated. That seems more efficient right? Yes, I guess so, but I can't keep thinking to myself that it's not authentic -- it's not really your work? Sternberg (2024) states that many people consider the output of ChatGPT as their own work, based on the sole fact that they created the prompt. In addition, he warns that AI has already seriously damaged human beings' ability to generate new, creative ideas.

In my own case, I found this when using grammar checking software when writing for my doctorate. If prompted, the AI enriched software will now completely rewrite your sentence. The new version is but a shadow of your original. That just didn't sit right with me, as some voice deep inside me kept squawking-- yes, yes, but that's not me, I didn't come up with that sentence! To be sure, the history lessons are not lost on me, as I suspect there were some poor souls claiming that horses were just more reliable than automobiles, with arguments like they don't need gasoline, and they replace themselves naturally. I get it.

Yet I wonder what a world looks like where human beings leverage AI to do almost all of their executive functions. Need a recipe, joke, poem, love note, book to read, social media post, or want instructions on how to make great coffee over a campfire -- just ask AI. The human experience appears destined to be automated like a script, and what becomes of God's wonderous creation, the human being? Well in my opinion, I wish for a multitude of different AI providers, not just the big 5 players. I believe we need hundreds of AI varieties, each with their own uniqueness, flaws, and strengths, and maybe that will be a small step in preserving the spark of authenticity that resides in every human being.

JimSwallow@AnalyzeBrand.com

References:

Alpaydin, E. (2021). Machine learning. MIT press.

Kelleher, J. D., & Tierney, B. (2018). Data science. MIT press.

Louridas, P. (2020). Algorithms. MIT Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2024). Do not worry that generative AI may compromise human creativity or intelligence in the future: It already has. Journal of Intelligence, 12(7), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence12070069