Can journalists be replaced by ChatGPT?
Spain
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being a hot topic for a long time. However, in recent months it has experienced a strong momentum worldwide thanks to ChatGPT, the AI solution by OpenAI. This tool has shaken many industries, including digital marketing, and opened new perspectives on how companies should promote in the future.
Furthermore, after the launch of ChatGPT-4, its latest update, global marketing specialists are challenging themselves to address the changes brought by this tool.
Afraid of being overtaken by their competitors, brands are starting to wonder how they can use ChatGPT to cover their marketing and communication needs. But can journalists and content creators be replaced by this tool?
Certainly, ChatGPT has the ability and the features to replace multiple jobs. Tech positions such as software developers, web developers, computer programmers, and data scientists are “quite prone” to be ousted since AI can compute quite accurately.
Many job positions could be impacted by this modern technology, but in the case of journalists and media, things are not so clear. While it is true that ChatGPT could automate and streamline some tasks, such as the composition of news summaries and article writing, it lacks the most relevant ability for this occupation: the human factor.
All self-respected writers and journalists must provide essential qualities like creativity, critical analysis or understanding. These human skills are paramount to write news or to create content and AI cannot provide them.
AI is particularly good at collecting data but is unable to understand the news background or the values that a company wants to convey by means of a release. Moreover, it is bound to errors and tampering, so its analysis and content may be biased by the interests of third parties.
The communicator is required to tell stories in a memorable and moving way, and to reach the target audience. Finding the perspective to engage with the audience is a feature provided exclusively by time and experience.
While ChatGPT will be able to ease the workload for journalists, they will not be replaced completely since ability to judge, sensibility, narrative or engagement with the audience are unique skills that cannot be implemented into a computer.