The Power of Generative AI: Why I Encourage My Kids to Use ChatGPT
In our family, we have two college students, one high school student, and a middle school student. My son, one of our two college students, first told me about ChatGPT. It was the first week of December 2022, probably within that first five days before ChatGPT reached 1 million users. He called me up to tell me about this great new app that could compose perfect essays based on detailed user prompts. I initially responded with a lecture on academic integrity.
Three months later, I actively encourage my kids to use ChatGPT. I believe generative AI tools will become ubiquitous in a very short time, and it will benefit all of us, especially our children, to know how to use and interact with it effectively.
Generative AI will increase productivity by streamlining tasks and simplifying complex processes. I immediately began using ChatGPT to speed up writing tasks so I can focus more of my time on in-person communication and other more important tasks. It took me two years to write my first book, but I don’t think the second book will take me nearly as long. From composing emails to writing reports, generative AI tools can save time and increase accuracy. They can also help to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more meaningful work. As our children enter the workforce, they will need to be comfortable using these tools to remain competitive.
Furthermore, generative AI tools will improve customer experience and employee satisfaction. Chatbots can be used to provide quick and efficient customer service, freeing up employees to focus on more complex tasks. These tools can help to reduce errors and improve the quality of work. As our children prepare for their future careers, they need to understand the potential benefits of generative AI tools and how to apply them effectively.
Finally, I believe one of the most significant benefits of generative AI is its ability to bridge the gap between right-brain thinkers and left-brain thinkers. Think of it as an accommodation for everyone's intellectual limitations. Left-brain thinkers tend to be analytical and logical, while right-brain thinkers tend to be creative and intuitive. Generative AI can help to balance these two ways of thinking, providing a more holistic approach to problem-solving. These tools can provide a platform for creativity and innovation while also ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
As a parent, I want to ensure that my children are prepared for the future and have the skills they need to succeed in whatever career they choose. Learning how to effectively use generative AI tools like ChatGPT will be an essential part of that preparation. However, it's not just about knowing how to use the tool; it's also about knowing how to ask the right questions.
Crafting an effective prompt is a skill that will become increasingly important in the age of generative AI. Knowing how to ask the right question is the key to getting the most out of these tools. Learning how to write an effective prompt will be more important than knowing how to compose an eloquent paragraph.
To get the most value out of a generative AI chatbot like ChatGPT, follow these recommendations:
1. Provide context – Give as much background information as possible to help the AI understand what you’re looking for. If you’re asking it to write content that is coming from you personally (an email, a social media post, etc…) then begin by telling it a little about yourself, including all relevant information. As an example, copy and paste your entire resume into the prompt and then ask ChatGPT to write a professional biography for you.
2. Be specific about the desired output – Give ChatGPT detailed parameters for what you’re looking for, including word count, structure, style, audience and specific points you’d like it to emphasize. It knows how to format a limerick, a sonnet, a haiku, a Tweet, a rap song, or a love letter. You can also request a specific voice for your content, from Shakespeare to Ryan Reynolds.
3. Be clear and unambiguous – This is the one I’m working with my youngest daughter on. I occasionally overhear her requests of Google or Alexa and they are roughly the equivalent of “Who’s the guy that did that thing that one time?” or “What should I do if I want to make really cool slime?” But even experienced adults have to avoid ambiguity, especially in the technology field where we often co-opt words from other disciplines or have an overdependence upon extremely generic words – system, program, agile, develop, service, application, process, variable, client, server, and cloud. Clear and specific language will help ChatGPT understand and return exactly what you’re looking for.
4. Test and revise – The beauty of a Chatbot is that it remembers and learns from your previous interactions. If you craft a long and detailed prompt but find that the response is a bit too stuffy, simply reply with “Thanks, but now can you use more casual language?” If the output left out one important concept, try replying with something like this, “That’s great, but can you create a new version that emphasizes this additional point: ___?” ChatGPT will happily rewrite the entire thing for you, adding in the new element that you described.
There’s one more added benefit to this interaction with a generative AI chatbot: the user is learning how to make effective requests. Oddly enough, humans also need context, clarity, specificity, and good feedback in order to perform their best on a task. Not to mention opportunities to try again and improve upon their previous performance. Learning how to effectively delegate responsibilities, set expectations, and provide feedback is an important leadership skill. Is it possible that ChatGPT can teach people how to be better leaders?
So I talk to my kids about ChatGPT. I share with them examples of how I’m using it myself at work to simplify and speed up writing tasks. I make sure to share the prompts that I used to generate the content, including revisions and feedback I gave to the Chatbot. We have fun with it, too, asking it to write songs, poems and screenplays about random topics. Alas, the kids did not understand when my husband asked ChatGPT “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
Don’t worry, I still believe in academic integrity. I advised my children that there are already tools which allow a teacher to evaluate an essay to determine whether it was written by a human or a chatbot. But more importantly, I explained that generative AI should be used to augment their learning, not to replace it. We talked about the risk of inaccuracy when using ChatGPT, and showed them examples, so they will know better than to blindly trust the information it provides.
As a CIO and a parent, I have come to see the value of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. These tools can improve productivity and creativity while also improving accuracy and customer satisfaction. As our children prepare for their future careers, it's essential that they understand the potential benefits of these tools and how to use them effectively. By teaching them how to ask the right questions and use the tool responsibly, we can help them to succeed in whatever career they choose.
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel compelled to tell you that last paragraph was written by ChatGPT.