ChatGPT: A Boon or A Bane for Writers?

Gone are those days when AI powered technologies were only prevalent in Hollywood movies. Today, these AI tools have made many people's lives easier ( or even more daunting). But, which is true, really?

They say that AI is very helpful in making many people’s daily tasks a lot faster and easier.

However, for people involved in the field of writing, this remains to be seen. Today, many people working as virtual assistants have viewed AI tools as a threat to their career.

With news circulating around the work-at-home jobs industry, that many virtual assistants have lost their jobs due to the emergence of AI tools, I couldn’t help but also worry.

In fact, I personally know some people whose jobs were lost due to the fact that their employers preferred the use of AI tools when editing videos and when writing blog content.

But then, how do virtual assistants survive in a world where their talents and skills gained through the years have been juxtaposed with AI tools?

Should we see the emergence of these AI tools as a threat? Or, must we consider these as a tool that could take our writing career to a whole new level?

When we talk about AI tools, one thing that has gained so much attention among bloggers and writers is the ChatGPT. If you’re also wondering whether ChatGPT must be perceived as a friend or a foe, keep reading.

What is ChatGPT?

“To put it simply, chatGPT is an endless library where Artificial Intelligence functions as the librarian”, according to Ben Angel, the best selling author of the book titled “Unstoppable.”

Who created ChatGPT?

ChatGPT was created by the company named OpenAI. The people behind this AI research company are Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman.

What will ChatGPT be used for?

ChatGPT was developed with an aim of helping people converse with intelligent chatbots using natural language. You can ask, converse and make requests to ChatGPT just like you would with your human assistant.

Can you use ChatGPT to write essays?

The ability to compose well written essays makes ChatGPT a very popular tool for entrepreneurs and workers alike.

Can you use ChatGPT for blogging?

Yes, you can definitely use ChatGPT for blogging. However, the presence of tools such as Originality.ai detects whether your website content is written by an AI tool or a human. Unfortunately, the use of AI tools when writing content does not sit well with Google.

Use ChatGPT to generate blog post ideas.

ChatGPT does a great job at generating blog post ideas. To do this, you just have to type something like “Generate 20 titles for a blog post about low-carb diet”.

Once you hit enter, ChatGPT will immediately spit out blog post ideas within one minute or even less. Then, go through each of these titles. Once you have the list of the titles that you think are good for your blog site, you can come back to ChatGPT.

This time, you can copy and paste there your chosen titles and then tell ChatGPT - “These titles are good, can you give me more that are similar to these?”

Of course, there are plenty of ways to make your titles super catchy and click-worthy. Don’t worry, we have a separate article for that so please feel free to read my blog post about How to Write Blog Post Titles that Rank.

Use ChatGPT to come up with a blog post structure.

One of the many things in which ChatGPT can be considered a friend is the fact that it will help you avoid falling into a despicable state of a writer’s block.

This is because you can just ask ChatGPT to come up with a list of bullet points or an outline for your specific blog post topic. Once again, do not forget to tell ChatGPT that everything has to adhere to SEO guidelines.

Think of ChatGPT as a friend with whom you can sincerely ask for a favor whenever you want something done. You have to choose your words well when typing a command or request to ChatGPT.

This way, you have greater chances of being able to yield the exact answers you need. To quickly come up with a possible structure for your blog post, you can then tell ChatGPT - “Please come up with a bulleted list of things that need to be discussed regarding each title”.

The next most important thing to do when you want ChatGPT to be your best friend is to give it a specific character. For example, you can say “Please come up with an article structure for this blog post topic and write this from the perspective of an expert”.

Or, you can also say “You know everything about blog post SEO and will write an article about the topic titled….”.

By giving ChatGPT a character description of what kind of person who will be writing the blog post, chances are high that the article structure that ChatGPT I'll give you is exactly what you want and need.

Always do fact-checking.

ChatGPT has the tendency to make things up. This is when this AI tool becomes a “foe”. That’s why you have to be diligent enough to do some fact-checking.

Read everything that ChatGPT has written so you can spot the mistakes in facts presented such as the exact year, number of “a specific statistics presented”, or the exact name of the TV Show or company.

I had first-hand experience on being able to spot some errors in facts that ChatGPT generated. This was when I was writing an article meant to be published in a celebrity weight loss magazine.

I used ChatGPT to come up with a blog post sample about a specific celebrity who had been through a weightloss journey. It turns out that the name of the TV Show and the exact year when that celebrity appeared on TV was a mistake.

I was able to fact-check this by watching a live TV interview via YouTube, of that specific celebrity published. The answers he gave did not match with what ChatGPT generated.

But, I am positive that these errors in facts will soon be rectified. This is because ChatGPT continues to evolve so it could become a better tool not just for writers like me but for everyone who relies so much on the internet for information.

To reiterate, make sure you do fact checking. Failure to do this may lead to negative reader comments, poor SERP ranking, and anything that you don't want to happen to your website.

Use ChatGPT to improve your work.

One of the most common mistakes that many writers make is to rely solely on ChatGPT to do the writing for them. For example, you may just ask this chatbot to help you write certain sentences in a passive voice.

Or, you can use ChatGPT to eliminate errors in grammar, which is very helpful if English is not your first language.

These are a few of the many tasks that will make ChatGPT such a friend, and not a foe, to every writer. Always remember to read what ChatGPT has generated.

Read it thoroughly so you can spot any errors. This way, you can be assured that the written sentences were correct in terms of grammar, tone, voice, and facts presented.

And, did I say “written sentences”? Yes, I did. Because relying on ChatGPT to produce the entire blog post for you would not only be good for your writing career.

This, knowing that many people use tools such as Originality.ai to check the human side of every blog post.

Do not forget that you are a human using ChatGPT. Never let this AI tool ruin your reputation as a reliable human writer.

Lastly, if you do not care to know about the limits and disadvantages of using ChatGPT, then you become at risk of making ChatGPT your own nemesis.

Many people would believe that this AI tool is so powerful that it can replace what a human can do. But, I beg to disagree. The human brain, for me, still remains the most powerful and most intelligent creation. Because the one who created it is the Almighty, the creator of all good things.

Use ChatGPT to take your writing career to greater heights. But, never forget that your skills and knowledge remain indispensable. That is, if you believe that the blogging world cannot do without the wonders of human intelligence.