Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:05] Welcome to ChatGPT Curious, a podcast for people who are, well, curious about ChatGPT. I'm, um, your host, Dr. Shantae Cofield, also known as the Maestro, and I created this show to explore what ChatGPT actually is. Really, though, are the files in the computer, how to use it, and what it might mean for how we think, work, create, and move through life. Whether you're skeptical, intrigued, or already experimenting, you're in the right place. All that I ask is that you stay curious. All right, let's get into it.
[00:00:38] Hello, hello, hello. M my curious people, and welcome to episode three of ChatGPT Curious. I am your grateful host, the Maestro, and today we are answering the question, is CHAT GPT killing creativity? Short answer, no. Long answer coming up. Before we get into that, though, I wanted to start off by saying thank you for even listening to this podcast. It has been such a fun endeavor. Every time I sit down to record, I'm just like, yeah, I get to do it again. And I'm truly so grateful for your support. I know that the previous two episodes, episodes one and two, were, um, quite a bit longer, and they were pretty dense. And so I figured I'd round out these first three, this batch of three, the inaugural three, uh, with a shorter, lighter episode. It is summer, and I had y' all in math class last episode, becoming engineers.
[00:01:30] Sorry, not sorry. Uh, but this episode should be a bit easier on the brain, so let's hop on in.
[00:01:38] Is ChatGPT killing creativity now? Full disclosure, this episode is clearly 100% my opinion, but I'm also not sure that there's a way that you could measure that answer to that question with 100% objectivity or accuracy. Like, how are you actually measuring this?
[00:01:53] Um, but it is something that I see discussed quite a bit, and there's a bunch of, you know, articles, you know, sensationalized mainstream media articles devoted to it, and they're kind of used as, like, a gotcha. And I'm just like, what? Really?
[00:02:09] Like, of course, if you use something to give you the answer, you will not learn the process. We don't need a study to prove this or, like, an article to explain this. Like, these articles are out there, and they're like, we had these kids have chatgpt write the paper for them, and then they didn't learn anything about the subject. And it's like, of course. Like, we do we really need. What is this surprising? Like, let's take it, you know, take it away from kids and think about ourselves, Think about using Google Maps. Shout out to the OG MapQuest.
[00:02:43] Right? And by the way, I am team Google Maps. I'm not a fan of Apple. I love Apple. I don't like Apple Maps. I'm definitely not Waze, because when I first moved to la, I would you. I was. I was using Waze. That was like a, you know, a really hot thing at the time. But that will have you taking a left turn and risking your life just to save 0.2 seconds. And I'm like, I'm gonna lose all those seconds because I'm gonna have to go to the hospital. So no waza ways for me. I am all team Google Maps. But we know when you're using Google Maps, you're using any of these maps. And if you use it all the time, you never learn how to get where you're going. You're just like, oh, and I'm here now.
[00:03:21] We know this. If you really want to learn how to get there, you have to turn the thing off. You can use it a little bit in the beginning, and then you have to try it without it and be like, oh, I'm going to make mistakes. And actually, we can know this, right? So let me get back on topic here. No. ChatGPT in and of itself is not killing creativity. Now, I realize that I may sound bullish in these episodes in my stance towards Chat GPT. And for those of you who don't know, bullish means having, like, a positive or confident outlook on something. It refers to the stock market, uh, and a bull market. In a bull market, prices are anticipated to go up. The. The origin of the name bull market, bear market, relates to the way that these animals attack, right? So a bull, like, you know, like, rears their horns up, thrusts their horns up, whereas a bear swipes their. Their claws downward. So market's going up, we say bull market, market's going down. Bear market, someone that's like, really, like, adamant, you know, confident about something. It's going to be great.
[00:04:20] They're bullish on this thing, I realize. Or, uh, you know, it's not my intent. But I listen to these back and I'm like, I may sound bullish in my stance towards Chat GPT.
[00:04:30] That's not my intent. And, and more than me being enamored with the deck because I'm not. Use it if you want. Don't use it if you want. I actually don't care. Like, whatever. I have no, you know, I have no horse in this race. Uh, but more than me being enamored with the Tech, it's largely or enamored by the deck. I don't know which one it is there.
[00:04:48] It's largely that I feel that it is pushing us towards what I call the great AI reckoning. And I sent an email out to my other news list about this, uh, and within this, this great AI reckoning, to me this is where we're going to be forced to ask ourselves what actually matters? And is the way that I'm doing this, the way that we are doing this collectively, is it the best way of doing it or is it, you know, that, that kiss of Death Race, it's always been done like that before.
[00:05:17] I think we actually start to see, we start to.
[00:05:19] I uh, think we actually saw this start. Wow, my words. During COVID right, colleges went on one example, colleges went online and suddenly it was like, well what the are people paying for? Like wait, why is it so expensive? Like what wait.
[00:05:31] And that great pause as uh, that, you know, time for your time period could be referred to as in general when people had time to be like, what actually matters to me? Does this soul sucking job matter to me? Do we need to be doing things this way? Is there a better way?
[00:05:47] So with generative AI really what I want to focus on and I will probably do an episode just about AI in general because I said generative AI and like AI is a very broad term, LLMs, ChatGPT, they are a type of generative AI. So I, I will probably do an episode just in general though about like AI, because this, this big ass topic, but with generative AI, ChatGPT, LLMs, the big concerns, right? Some of the things we see thrown out there are students using it for papers and people using it on cover letters and people using it to write emails and people using it to make content.
[00:06:23] And what I think we're seeing is people using it for things that honestly they don't really care about.
[00:06:33] And that to me is at the heart of, of the AI reckoning. And also that to me is at the heart of an episode. I'm going to do it at some point, probably in the next two or three episodes which is. Is ChatGPT overhyped? And I do, I think it is, right. And the reason I say this in terms of people using it for things they don't care about is because it doesn't always turn out the best stuff, like it's not as good as you are. And so sometimes when you're like, okay, like I'll take good enough or I just need to get started with things, then we're like, okay, I'll use it. But when things, you're like, I really care about this thing so much, you're gonna do it yourself. Um, so I've never liked the descriptor of lazy and using that for someone because I don't think that people are inherently lazy. I listened to a.
[00:07:19] I watched a podcast on. I watched podcast on YouTube. And this woman, I think she was like the CEO of. I don't know, she was a head up high up somewhere. Amazon maybe, I don't really know, I don't remember. But one of the bigger companies, one of like the Fang Batman companies. But she kept saying about people being lazy, and I was just like that. Stop saying that. It's not true.
[00:07:42] I think that when people don't do. Don't want to do, or they're like, look for shortcuts. It's cu. You're giving them. They don't care about.
[00:07:48] They don't find value in it. They don't find purpose in it. They don't find meaning in it. They don't care about it. I think that in general, humans are incredibly passionate about things, and they'll burn the midnight oil and forget to eat so they can create things and do things that they love.
[00:08:05] But the way that society is set up, we champion and we reward. Fast Shit. Flashy.
[00:08:11] Last episode, that long last episode I did. Thank you again.
[00:08:15] It, uh, was about the environment. And, you know, all the clickbait titles that we see that are out there that are just objectively incorrect about how much energy and ChatGPT. Uh, excuse me, how much energy and water ChatGPT is using. But we know if it bleeds, it leads. If you go on Threads. I used to love threads. I love threads. For about three months. And then now it's just like, just so, like, antagonistic and just so sensationalized. And I'm like, this is not what I want. Right? We, we. And it gets clicks and it gets attraction and, and traction. As a society, we champion results. We champion the person with the most money. Don't tell me we don't, because we do.
[00:08:53] I. We think that, oh, if you have money, you're smart and you're like, that's not true. They're probably, uh. I'm not gonna go into that. But it's not true. Like, those, those two things are not objectively true.
[00:09:02] All right? We champion and celebrate and idolize the person with the most things.
[00:09:07] So, of course, kids don't give a. About the essay that you're asking them to write about this book they don't care about, and they want to quote, unquote, cheat and they want to figure out the fastest way to do it so they can go to something else that they actually enjoy.
[00:09:20] All right? And then we have like 37,000 kids in one class and one teacher. If you're a teacher listening to this, God bless you. You are a angel. You are a angel. Right? But we got 37,000 kids in one class to one teacher, and then they're learning shit so that they can pass a standardized test so that the school can get money. Does the information they're learning on that test make them better thinkers, more round, more well rounded humans? Does it give them life skills? Do they care about this thing? Does it interest them? Do we care if it interests them?
[00:09:50] Is it the best way to teach them? I don't know. We don't have time. Teachers don't have to have time to even go into that. So maybe, you know, there's a little bit of a tangent, but teachers could use ChatGPT to make more personalized lessons because maybe it can see things up for them because they do care about it. Right? Like, but I think in general, you know, the stuff that the kids are learning, it's like, is the information even correct or is it completely whitewashed? Like, does the info that they are learning actually quote unquote matter? Or is it just feeding them into a machine that spits them out with a shit ton of student loan debt so they can hopefully be a low level employee that will never be able to pay off that debt, but will somehow be able to help the shareholders make more money as the company somehow m makes infinite profits year over year despite having finite resources.
[00:10:35] Yes, I went there because that's where we're at. Like, this is why I have a podcast so I can say what I want and have these discussions. Right? This is the current extractive model of capitalism that we live under, live within.
[00:10:49] And it ain't it, folks. It ain't it. It's not good. I honestly see a lot of folks in the AI space using to look, uh, looking to use. I'm so like into this. Um, my words are going backwards. I see a lot of people in the AI space looking to use AI. Let me use ChatGPT to further that model. And that is not what this podcast is about.
[00:11:12] I'm not here to on them. I'm here to be like, that's not what I'm about. And this is why I have my own podcast. So I can bring up things like this and share my opinion on things like this. I think that ChatGPT has the potential to be very helpful in many, many ways. But I'm not here to talk about how to use it to generate more for the sake of more or to be more, quote, unquote, productive, because that's the only way we know how to measure value.
[00:11:35] So no, I don't think that CHAT GPT chatgpt is killing creativity. I think the system that we live in is killing creativity. And ChatGPT is a tool that people are using to try and win within that broken system.
[00:11:48] I believe that ChatGPT can be an amazing assistant. You know, I give you, uh, a little example inadvertently before maybe a teacher could make more personalized plans. Cause they can spit out more of these things and they do it really quickly or quicker. I think it could be an amazing assistant that helps you get tasks done quicker and then you can go and do other things as well.
[00:12:07] Right? So even if it's just creating lesson plans, same example. And then maybe they can go and like spend more time, I don't know, giving individualized feedback or something because they have more time. Or you can get tasks done quicker and then you can go outside and touch grass, or you can go to spend more time with your family. You can go play more beach volleyball in my case, or maybe you can go skiing if you're into that sort of thing. If you're new to this podcast, I don't like the cold. I guess I'll say if you're new to me now, you know I don't like the cold, right. I have heard, you know, cases of people using it, um, with their kids, using ChatGPT with their kids when they're outside, like, learn about birds. And I'm like, that's awesome. And you can use voice, uh, mode, or it's called conversation mode on ChatGPT and it'll speak back to you. But you can be like, hey, you know, explain it to like a five year old. That's amazing. It's an amazing use case of this, right? And I think that that also demonstrates creativity, right? So, you know, to summarize, if you use it to do the task for you, no, you will not get better at the task. We don't need a study to prove this. We know this flip side. People who want to be doing the thing they're doing will continue to do the thing that they're doing despite the existence of ChatGPT, whether or not we as a society Reward that thing is a different story.
[00:13:30] I know that this is, uh, you know, turning the Titanic. This is not something that's going to happen overnight. And to that end, while, again, no, I don't think the chat GPT in and of itself is killing creativity. I do think that creativity is a muscle, and it is a use it or lose it kind of thing, but you can gain it back, right? And that's why, you know, in that sense, it's kind of like a muscle. And I think that you do have to make a concerted effort to maintain the, uh, that creative side, especially if you're living in a world where all you do is work, work, work, work, work, like you do need to and be intentional with that creative outlet side of things. But no, I do not think that ch in and of itself is killing creativity. So before I wrap up the full episode, we know the second part. Now, maybe you don't know, but I'm. What I want to do with these episodes is the second part of it, the end part of it. Um, just to say how I use ChatGPT today or recently, I would love to hear from you as well as to how you use it. So you can head to the website, use that contact form. But the way that I use it today, uh, was to write a, an actual script for me to initiate a chargeback, not a script for this podcast, because I love this podcast. I love doing it. Um, I use it to initiate a. Excuse me. To write a script to initiate a chargeback on a transaction from last year.
[00:14:50] Um, I bought a voucher while Lex and I were leaving the resort in Cabo. And then bastards are not honoring the 50 discount that they promised. Like, why would I buy this voucher otherwise? So I can save one penny? No. Uh, so we had called them to try and book this week, and they are not honoring it. And it very much seems like this is some bait and bait and switching that they do. And I was just like, I'm not having it. So I put all this stuff into ChatGPT and asked for a script so I could explain it. Because I also know that I speak really quickly sometimes. And I was like, I don't want to get all the things jumbled. You know, what can I say to this person? And obviously just being nice to the person on, um, the phone and letting them know they don't. Honoring that 50% discount. And so I wanted to dispute the chart. So, uh, one, if you're thinking about going to LeBlanc Resort in Cabo, don't Go because they don't honor their word. Um, but that is how I used Chat GPT today, uh, and shout out to chase Sapphire Reserve and Chat GPT for the win. So that's all. Hopefully this episode was a bit lighter and, uh, if you found it helpful, that would be, you know, one. I love that. That's, that's my goal, is that you, uh, found it helpful. But if you did find it helpful, would love it if you shared it with somebody who, you know, is curious about the old ChatGPT.
[00:16:08] Do not forget, folks, I have a companion newsletter that drops every Thursday. That's basically the podcast episode in written format. So if you prefer to read or you just want a written record of the things I'm saying that you will probably never go back and look at, or maybe you will, I don't know, we'll see, but probably won't join, uh, the newsletter fam. We'd love to have you. Uh, you can head over to chat GPT curious.com forward/newsletter. Or you can check out the link in the no. In the no notes. Wow. In the show notes. Everything will be in there. Uh, if you got any questions, comments, concerns, additions, subtractions or requests, head to the. Head to the website that is chatgpt curious.com use that contact form. I legit. Would love to hear from you.
[00:16:49] That, folks, is all for today.
[00:16:52] As always, I promise you, this would be shorter. This would be lighter. As always, endlessly, endlessly, endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until we chat again next Thursday, stay curious.
