AI and Why I Don't See it as Competition
When I started using ChatGPT earlier this year, I was blow away by its capabilities. Certain written tasks, like a lengthy email, would take me anywhere from half an hour to an hour to complete. With the assistance of ChatGPT, I can now expedite the time spent on the initial draft and significantly reduce the time spent. It has also made writing on my own much easier, as I've gained a better understanding of how and why the program generates certain text.
Similarly, witnessing the capabilities of Photoshop's generative AI has truly blown my mind. The process of retouching photos has become much faster, and tasks that used to take me a considerable amount of time can now be completed within minutes. Two weeks ago I went to a pop up event for Cheez-it in Joshua Tree, California. Using the generative AI, I was able to remove individuals blocking the display as if they were never there.
I've heard from plenty of friends and family members, and read a plethora of articles about the concern that AI will replace jobs. Specifically jobs like my own. Even with these advancements, AI is not perfect and I'm not sure it ever will be. There is still a distinct human touch and creativity that these programs lack.
The secondary concern I understand much more, that people will misuse AI as a shortcut. This raises the question of where to draw the line between ethical use and exploitation.
When reviewing the syllabus for my first masters course, I noticed that both ChatGPT and other AI tools were mentioned with restrictions. This is something I could never have imagined during high school or my undergraduate program. It makes sense though, the world has changed. AI makes it possible to complete work quickly without the ability to understand a problem or project.
For me, the decision I've made is that ChatGPT will be a reference tool, similarly to spellcheck. When writing, the initial drafts and final product will always be my own. And when doing design work such as retouching images, I prefer to still try and do the edits on my own first.
To sum it all up, I am not concerned about AI replacing us. I'm more interested in what the etiquette will be as it's abilities continue to advance. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this topic at a later date.
