ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since its release in November 2022. Think about it: How many times have you heard someone say “Just use ChatGPT!” in the past couple of years? Everyone from elementary school kids to your grandma knows about (and probably has even used) it. When you look at the convenience factor and the fact that ChatGPT can save users time in some cases, it’s easy to see why so many people love it. However, there are some very real downsides to using it.
So, what is ChatGPT good for? And even more importantly, what is it not good for? Let’s talk about it.
Pros:
- A Good Starting Point
ChatGPT is a great option for getting a starting point in a project—ideas, outlines, layouts, word choice, etc. Sometimes when you’ve hit a creative roadblock, it can help to get the juices flowing again.
- Great for Casual Use
Think “Give me good conversation starters for a dinner party.” While there is a whole host of reasons ChatGPT should not be used as a source for accurate information, using it for fun or casual reasons is okay. Want a list of trivia questions for your group of friends, or looking for a good joke to tell? We say, go for it!
- Overall Convenience
It’s nothing if not convenient. Using ChatGPT may save you some time and effort when you use it as a quick way to help write an email, find a synonym, or complete another mundane writing task.
Cons:
- Not Immune to Plagiarism
As much as you don’t want to believe it’s true, and while the company claims to provide only original content, ChatGPT content can be viewed as plagiarism if you use the information it gives you without proper context or citations, especially in an academic or corporate setting. It works by collecting information from the web and creating a suitable answer for your prompt. So, you can end up getting text that is extremely similar to information from other sources on the internet.
- Accuracy Can Be Questionable
ChatGPT makes mistakes all the time. There is currently no way to ensure that you’re getting 100% accurate information from ChatGPT. If you’re going to use it, you have to fact-check. Every single time.
- Environmental Impact
If you care about our environment and use ChatGPT…we’ve got bad news. It has been reported that ChatGPT emits 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year and uses around 39.16 million gallons of water daily. The verdict—ChatGPT is terrible for our environment. This fact is enough to turn some people completely away from using it
The choice to use ChatGPT is ultimately yours, but we recommend using it sparingly and responsibly. Don’t become dependent on it, and definitely don’t get in the habit of copying and pasting straight from ChatGPT without even looking at what the content says first.
With the rise in AI-generated content, you can really stand out with human-written content. And if you’re in need of expert copywriting services, contact us today!
