ChatGPT is still far from perfect, but it is capable enough to steal the works of some writers. According to a report from The Washington Post, at least two writers lost their jobs after being replaced by OpenAI‘s ChatGPT.
The story highlights the stories of copywriters Olivia Lipkin and Eric Fein. The former reportedly experienced dwindling assignments as her managers called her “Olivia/ChatGPT” on Slack. In April, Lipkin “was let go without explanation” but “found managers writing about how using ChatGPT was cheaper than paying a writer.” Meanwhile, Fein, who had his content-writing business, said he lost 10 client contracts after being told their companies would move to ChatGPT.
Stories about individuals losing their positions and jobs over ChatGPT is nothing new. Earlier reports predicted certain professions that would be initially replaced by ChatGPT. Even huge companies seem to share the same view, including IBM. Recently, the company’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, revealed a plan to replace 7,800 human jobs, adding its HR sector is the first to be hit by this.
Prior to this report, Futurism also uncovered that the American media website CNET employed AI in writing articles. According to the story, it started in November 2022. However, the act later backfired after the outlet noticed errors in the works, including some inaccurate personal finance advice. However, the news outlet’s EIC, Connie Guglielmo, said it was just a “test.”
Despite the issue, CNET expressed the possibility of still using AI in the future. “We’ve paused and will restart using the AI tool when we feel confident the tool and our editorial processes will prevent both human and AI errors,” Guglielmo wrote in an editorial.
Like CNET, other companies are now testing the waters regarding the use of generative AI in their businesses, with some employing them in the simplest tasks possible to allow automation of work. However, as more tech firms invest in more complex AI tech, it is not impossible that AI will be able to handle more work beyond simple repetitive skills, which could soon result in more stories like Lipkin’s and Fein’s.
