I am very bad at typing stuff. The thoughts flow thick and fast but, when I start typing I make typos; I create grammatically wrong constructions; I write awkwardly long lines and make poor transitions between thoughts (like the one I'm about to make now). I have been aided so far by spell-checkers on MS word and Gsheets to construct decent paragraphs. One look at my old blogs will tell you that they have not always worked. My Dad depends on spell checks a lot less than I do. He is old school. Further adding to the contrast is the fact that his primary and secondary education was not in English. Incidentally, he uses words to convey emotions and not emojis (*shrugs*).
Recently, I have taken to GPT at work to help with documentation. Entire paragraphs are composed in seconds, and it helps me be efficient with time. All I do after the first draft is to check for data accuracy and the consistency of information. I'm also aware that my emails have become curter and to the point. They resemble SMS/Texts more than well-structured emails. I don’t know if I have lost the patience to type out long emails as a consequence of GPT. GPT can type this blog. I would possess wordsmithing wizardry of the highest order, in no time. Is it wrong?
My work-self would say GPT is efficient/effective. The couch-potato-self who used to write blogs in an earlier life would definitely judge me. My kid, however, is going to be GPT native. He is not going to be shackled by my codes and moral dilemmas. These are interesting times. Language at its core, is a tool for communication. Language has served its purpose if the receiver understands the information present in the communication: be it words, emojis, shorthand, wave attenuation, etc. GPT’s ability to stitch together a coherent communication based on a directional thought or idea is a game changer. Especially, if your first language is not English.
I do have my concerns. In my blogging days, spell-checkers helped with my spelling and punctuation. This may be one of the reasons, I don’t have the same command over written language that my dad has. Similarly, with GPT, I fear, we may lose the muscle to string sentences together. We may lose the memory of certain words and conjugations; we may lose the ability to find words that enable economy of communication; we may lose the ability to communicate “beautifully” - finding optimal words that elevate an emotion. We may lose poetry, we may lose emotion, we may lose playfulness, cheekiness, and may lose our identity, entirely while communicating with words.
So what? GPT is well and truly here to stay. Any “control” of use is akin to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. After 15 years of corporate life and the constant battering my creativity has taken, I don’t know if I still have any inspiration left. For someone like me, any tool that can put my thoughts to words quickly, efficiently and in simple words is worth its weight in gold. It gives me the time to move on to the next burning issue or just space out for a bit, doom-scrolling on my phone.
