Chat GPT and The Rise of Digital Inauthenticity

This article was (not) written using Chat GPT

Author

Drake Gens
March 28, 2023

Topics: ChatGPT, authenticity, communication

“Drake… you just use Chat GPT to write all your articles, right?”

Lol… I think Ryan Reynolds can best articulate my initial reaction…

“Oh my gosh, are you against using technology to your advantage?”

Um… no. I use Chat GPT (and other technologies) to my advantage for research, data analysis, and additional perspective. I simply refuse to use technology to take advantage of you.

Here’s what I mean:

The Rise of Digital Inauthenticity - Observations From an Aspiring Linked-Influencer

I asked Chat GPT to write a quick social media post for me to describe why they should subscribe to my newsletter:

"Want to stay ahead in the investing game while putting the fun in finance? 🤑💰💸 Subscribe to the Stonk Science newsletter today and get exclusive insights and analysis from experienced financial experts! 💡📈 Don't miss out on the latest trends and strategies for maximizing your investments. Join the Stonk Science community now! 🚀 #stonkscience #financefun #investingtips"

Interesting. I appreciate it calling me an “experienced financial expert” - I guess seven months of full-time work experience goes a long way!

I see more and more people using things like this. I’m convinced that the majority of LinkedIn posts are generated using Chat GPT. In fact, Chat GPT is so powerful that it could write an entire newsletter for me by using my previous newsletters. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example:

“Hey Chat GPT, write a paragraph about market efficiency in a writing style like the one used in the articles from this website https://stonkscience.beehiiv.com/ using humor and financial analysis.”

Here’s what it gave me:

“Market efficiency, a term that sounds like it's reserved for mathematicians and statisticians, is actually a crucial concept for anyone interested in the stock market. Essentially, market efficiency refers to how quickly and accurately prices of securities reflect all available information about those securities. In other words, if a company releases a groundbreaking product, the efficient market should quickly adjust the stock price to reflect this development. Now, I know what you're thinking - "Wow, sounds exciting!" But trust me, market efficiency is actually pretty cool. By ensuring that prices reflect all available information, it helps investors make informed decisions and avoid the pitfalls of irrational exuberance or pessimism. So, next time someone asks you about market efficiency, just tell them it's the superhero that keeps the stock market in check, and you'll sound like a finance whiz.”

Really weird how it low-key, high-key sounds like me. It begs the question: how do you know that what I share is from me?

Easy…

I think market efficiency is less like a superhero and more like Homelander from The Boys: an evil dude that deceives people by charading around as a superhero. He’s a superhero sometimes, but totally not other times (link is graphic btw). Sorry Chat GPT… you almost convinced us…

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

“Um… Drake…. The last link looks a bit different than the rest…”

Good job! You’re very perceptive.

“Okaaayyy Drake… what’s your point? You obviously intentionally included it…”

Two for two! Look at you go!

I’m going to get to my point, but first, here’s how Chat GPT develops content:

“As an AI language model, I primarily generate responses using existing websites, text, and data. I am trained on a vast amount of text data, including books, articles, websites, and other sources of written text. When a user inputs a request or query, my system analyzes the input and generates a response based on the patterns and associations learned from this text data.”

In English, it takes your prompt, searches through a ton of data that is already existing, and then creates a response based on your query and what data is already existing. It has the capability to develop new content, but “these types of responses are generally less reliable than my responses to factual or informative requests, as they rely more heavily on creativity and imagination.”

Let’s interpret all of this:

Chat GPT’s outputs are based on existing information that people have already produced and developing new content is “less reliable.”

So when we use Chat GPT to write/develop content for us, we are effectively regurgitating some form or another of what someone else has already said.

Okay… so if the goals of social media (per Meta’s principles) are to “give people a voice” and “build connection and community”, are we really achieving that by regurgitating everyone else’s thoughts or letting a computer code develop thoughts for us? I’d argue that it’s artificial and ineffective. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy Ryan Reynolds’ advertising so much.

For a while, I thought I was the only person to think this… But apparently, I’m not (what a relief). I thought this article took a fascinating perspective on the matter:

For many content and digital marketers, the “blank page syndrome” can be a daily struggle. I’m not ashamed to admit that I myself face it daily, and (force) myself to jump over this hurdle as soon as possible. Trust me, it can be difficult to come up with ideas for content or to find the right words to express your thoughts.

In comes Chat GPT, ideally. With its help, marketers and copywriters can quickly overcome writer’s block and start creating high-quality content for their campaigns in no time, to ignite the process if you may. Since this tool has no creativity installed in it (not one bit, I checked) it cannot generate the final result, but rather the starting point.

Chat GPT literally erases the blank page and fills it with what are, essentially, writing building blocks. Finally, a true solution to that syndrome that we all love to hate! Looking at an already filled page quiets the quintessential anxiety spell of a new project, and can provide you, through elimination, a better understanding of what you want to write, and how.

Don’t worry, the content writer, and any other kind of writer actually, are here to stay. They just got a new tool to play with.

Staring at a literal or metaphorical blank page is daunting, anxiety-inducing, and stressful, especially with impending deadlines constantly closing in. Sure, go ahead and let Chat GPT help you do research, generate coding scripts, check your grammar and spelling, or even help you do analysis, but when you let it think for you you’ll quickly lose your ability to do so yourself.

Remember when we didn’t have GPS on our phones? Have you ever tried navigating your neighborhood without a GPS? When I went without a smartphone for several months, I could navigate all of Nashville without a GPS. Now that I’m in Charlotte, I can barely get to my favorite coffee shop without a GPS.

Thinking is a skill that can be learned and lost.

Please use technology, but don’t let it steal your originality, thoughts, or authenticity. Using technology to take advantage of people will, in my opinion, become your disadvantage (Yes, I’m talking about you, Tik Tok).

My Commitment

“Oh my gosh, did you see that article that Drake wrote that’s super anti-Chat GPT? I can’t believe that he thinks it’s a bad thing!”

I think Chat GPT is phenomenal. It’s an amazing resource that is a game changer.

  • My python codes are so much better as a result.

  • My research is so much deeper.

  • My grammar is (somewhat) better.

But I refuse to let ChatGPT write my articles for me.

  • Yes, it would save me time.

  • Yes, its jokes may be funnier.

  • Yes, it may have a wider base of knowledge than mine.

But all the authenticity would fade.

It wouldn’t be me talking.

When you read my post, you’d be reading a condensed and consolidated version of what everyone else has already said.

What’d be the point? More “impressions”? Having a more “streamlined process”?

You don’t subscribe to this newsletter to read a bunch of Chat GPT prompts that I’ve thrown together. You subscribe to read my analysis, my perspective, and my thoughts; using Chat GPT to formulate those would be, in my opinion, an inauthentic exchange.

My guarantee to you is that I’m going to keep it 100 with you in every post. Once I stop doing that, I might as well hang up my metaphorical cleats, towel, and glove.

To all 99 of my subscribers, you’re awesome. It blows my mind that y’all want to read what I have on my mind. I thought that my mom, dad, and grandma would be the only people to read my newsletter when I started, but y’all surprised me.

BTW, my mom just told me that my articles are “funny, clever, smart, and interesting… and an easy read that was impactful.” I feel very validated.

I don’t think that Chat GPT would impress her that much!