AIBU to wish people would stop writing professional emails with Chat GPT?

[4pmfireworks]

One of my managers writes absolutely everything with Chat GPT and as a result, all her emails are oddly formal and often get people's backs up. The tone is all wrong. I don't think she realises how badly she is coming across - and most of the team don't realise that the reason her communication is so lacking warmth and human touch is because she's telling AI what she wants to say.

She even once sent an email to me to let me know that "Marie Jones (your team leader) will advise you on this matter separately." Oh, THAT Marie Jones?! My team leader?! The one who I share an office with?! Thank God you included her surname and clarified her role or I would not have had a clue which Marie (the only one who works with us) you were talking about.

I've just had a general class update from my child's teacher that has been written with Chat GPT - I guess it saves time and I don't really blame him, but I do find it cringy. Once you spot it, it's so obvious. I would be embarrassed to send it.

I should add that I'm not always entirely sure why it's obviously written by AI. The adjectives are a bit off I think. And the sentence structure is recognisably formulaic and always rather longer than a human tends to write.

If you do this at work, you should know that some of the recipients know exactly what you're doing, and it doesn't look great.

I’m currently in the middle of recruiting, we had a couple of applicants who used chatgp for their covering letter, automatically on the no pile as it comes across as badly written, shame as their cvs were good and they would have reached interview otherwise

I’m a teacher and SLT genuinely suggested using it for writing models for the children. I burst out laughing before realising they were serious. It is truly awful and should only be used if you’re then prepared to give it a really good edit and make it more human. YANBU!

I am a teacher and have administrators who think it is amazing. I can spot it easily and am embarrassed and annoyed. They should at least go through and edit the shit out of it.

I'm in two minds. If I know someone is very busy, and I know them, I don't really care if an email is obviously ai

It has its place, but yanbu!

@VashtaNerada I don't see the problem. It's great for writing models. Are you too good for a time saving resource?

I do occasionally use it to write emails and although I can see where you're coming from, I don't think I care because it saves me time. I would definitely edit though.

Does it even save time, for short pieces of writing? Maybe I just type more quickly than some but I would assume that by the time I'd told it what I want to say, I could have just written it myself, if it's just a email?

But it produces absolute garbage that is oddly worded plus you obviously need to check it for accuracy. Does it really save time compared with writing it yourself?

Plus in a work environment its likely breaching confidentiality as you're giving that information to ChatGPT.

People use it to write posts on here and it's really easy to spot. There was one a few days ago where the OP came back to ask why they'd not got many useful replies and we all said it was because we didn't want to have a conversation with AI.

I guess it depends how adept you are at writing professional emails. I don't email often (teacher) and when I do it's normally to the whole staff communicating something new to do with my subject so it helps me but I wouldn't use it for short, easy to state emails.

My boss uses Chat GPT to send us plans for how to do our jobs. The time it annoyed me most is when he sent us a plan for how to organise events written by Chat GPT.

I have 20 years experience in event organising, he has very little. He could have asked me and I would have been happy to write a plan based on my actual experience in our sector rather than the generic nonsense he sent us.

I feel like I'm being managed - and my professional experience undermined - by a fucking brainless robot. I'm not sure he realises how insulting it is.

Consequently, I'm looking for a new job.

Incidentally, I've found a very useful way to use Chat GPT. If you copy a job description into it, and also your CV and cover letter (that you've written yourself!) you can ask it to do an analysis of your suitability for the role and point out any weaknesses in your application. I've found this very useful, and have used these pointers to then edit my CV and cover letter to address those areas (editing it myself, not using Chat GPT!)

I agree. We had applications for a job that were AI enhanced.

I have, however, been told that I write like AI. I write a lot for work, mostly formal, and have been doing so for 30 years so I write quickly. I don’t think you can always tell unless there is an obvious tell.

Also, not so fun fact, it’s dreadful for the environment. It uses humongous amounts of energy and water to host and cool the servers. I only use it for if I want to research something but don’t have time. Even then I cross check as it’s been horribly wrong before.

@Bjorkdidit it absolutely does. Say I'm writing a newspaper report about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. It would take me ages to research, structure and then write it. Chat gpt does it in seconds and yes I make edits but I find it's pretty good. I don't need to to be 100% accurate as I'm teaching 9 year olds writing skills mostly. So I guess that helps. I don't find it oddly worded but I can change bits I don't like.

This nails it.

marketoonist.com/2023/03/ai-written-ai-read.html

As a corporate copywriter it’s the bane of my existence currently! I can immediately tell because the default is US English; it’s very stiffly worded, often uses passive voice, and makes up random facts that aren’t true - which is crap when you’re working at technical companies. My colleagues often send me first drafts built using it, and they’re often worse and take longer to fix than if I started from scratch.

The output it creates is just so… dull. I don’t want an internet where every web page is the same basic, boring formula. We end up switching off when reading that style.

What I do find it useful for are running a piece through for grammar checks, iterations of things like headlines, SEO research, and fixing terrible formatting.

It’s the future, and it saves a stack of time. The problem you’re experiencing is people not using it properly. You can train it on tone of voice, but it sounds like this thread is full of people who’ve received emails from people who haven’t checked what they’re sending.

As for the recruiter, id be mindful that in corporate a lot of AI integration is taking place, and so turning down candidates who are using it (albeit perhaps not to its fullest) might mean you’re putting your company at a disadvantage in the future.

I mean all of the data pushed through them belongs to chatGPT, let's hope there's nothing about pupils, nothing confidential going through.

I understand that you might have some reservations about ChatGPT, and I appreciate your feedback! While it's true that AI has its limitations, it’s also designed to continuously improve. ChatGPT can handle a wide range of tasks, from answering questions and explaining complex topics to assisting with creative writing and brainstorming ideas. However, it might not always be perfect in terms of nuance or context, as it learns from patterns in data rather than human experience.
If you have specific concerns or examples where it didn't meet your expectations, feel free to share! I’d love to help address them and clarify how it works. AI like ChatGPT is constantly evolving, and feedback like yours is important for making it better.

I don’t use it (teacher/fast typist/good writer) but if I did, I’d give it AT LEAST three read-throughs for ‘tone’, and a swingeing cutting room session.

It basically wouldn’t save me any time

I thought Sam Altman had joined MN

I love it as someone who is dyslexic!

I use it as a spelling and grammar checker only and then listen to what has been re-written. I always put my own work in first… then ask for a uk grammar check.

you can change the tone to make it less formal.

to be honest emails can come across rude without ChatGPT

In a world where everyone is asked to do ever more with no time to do it, AI has to be the future.

I use copilot and it’s excellent for creating starters and structuring - but you absolutely have to read it and check it through. If you want to communicate A, B, C it helps do so quickly in a way that will, frankly, do.

And as a warning to the ‘use AI and we will bin your application’ crowd - people with autism are finding they are flagged as using AI when they aren’t. There’s also the question of reasonable adjustments for dyslexia…

🤮

YANBU,

A friend of the family asked me to review his application covering letter/CV for some UK unis. I was surprised at how good it was in some ways, since his English is quite poor and also how weird it was to read. I spent quite a lot of time trying to edit it and then I twigged it was AI.

I honestly think it would be quicker for most people to just write things themselves, unless they are happy to send the raw copy, which would generally be obvious.

It is good for writing all the waffly crap no one ever has time to read. Long winded policy documents and lengthy reports can be written and summarised by it.

I hope that it makes people realise the benefit of being more concise in the first place.