ChatGPT: Disruptive or Constructive?
What is Chat GPT?
ChatGPT is a popular emerging technology using Artificial Intelligence. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, which describes an AI program that looks for patterns in language and data learning to predict the next word in a sentence or the next paragraph in an essay. The website has a friendly interface that allows users to interact with AI in an efficient conversational tone. ChatGPT provides another opportunity for students, instructors, researchers, workers, and others to find practical solutions to everyday and complicated problems.
At the root of this conversation is Artificial Intelligence. I plan to explore applicable uses of AI and ChatGPT in the classroom, entrepreneurial potential uses, and applications in industry.
Everyday Uses of Artificial Intelligence
The use of Artificial Intelligence varies based on the user and their end goal. While many individuals will use certain programs or websites to meet specific objectives, many companies and apps have begun to utilize this emerging technology to better meet their customer's needs.
Duolingo is a popular foreign language learning application that I use to supplement my Spanish studies. The app uses Artificial Intelligence to assess users' knowledge and understanding as they interact with the program, thus streamlining users learning outcomes.
As another example, Khan Academy is a free online resource that helps teachers and students learn any level of math or other grade school topics for free. They have created Khanmigo, using AI. The model acts as a tutor that helps work through a problem while not directly providing the answer. It can assist in writing an essay or solving a complex math problem step by step.
These everyday applications continue a trend of companies implementing this new technology into students and teachers' lives. . This new AI technology also allows business professionals to enhance aspects of their processes.
Entrepreneurs, A.I. and the Advantages
While AI already provides companies and organizations with new ways to interact with and better support their customers, AI could also provide emerging industries and entrepreneurs with new paths to business success.
According to Entrpreneur.com, most businesses currently use AI for customer service purposes, however, AI could also help entrepreneurs create effective spreadsheets cataloging useful data with accuracy that can be incredibly specific or broad. Specifically with customer service, AI can quickly find what a customer needs and solve their problems efficiently. It could also analyze how effective marketing campaigns are influencing customers’ purchases.
As I researched for more information about this topic, I found an article in The Journal of Business Venturing Insights published in March 2023, sharing different techniques business students can use ChatGPT as an asset to generate entrepreneurial business pitches. The article titled “The Artificially Intelligent Entrepreneur” written by Cole Short, an Assistant Professor of Strategy at Pepperdine University, and Jeremy C. Short, a UTA alumni and Professor at the University of North Texas at Denton, showcased different elevator pitch scenarios.
Students and entrepreneurs study CEOs who have impacted an industry dynamically; the CEO's mentality is an asset. I had the opportunity to question Dr. Jeremy Short on how he arrived at the initial question of using AI as a CEO archetype business consultant. An archetype is a symbol, term, or pattern of behavior which others have replicated or emulated.
He responded, “We used this existing framework and selected a CEO from each archetype and used ChatGPT to create elevator pitches, social media pitches, and crowdfunding pitches. The strength of ChatGPT is based largely on the creativity of the prompt, which is where we aim as authors.”
CEO Archetypes and Prompt Engineering
ChatGPT allows the user to understand the archetypes of successful CEOs and collaborate with entrepreneurial styles. These archetypes are accessible options to consult with AI. Let’s break down different CEO archetypes students used during this study:
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Creator CEOs are typically serial entrepreneurs and serve during the growth stages of developing new businesses. These individuals are risk takers recognizing opportunities that others don’t see. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter is the creator archetype.
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Transformer CEOs are created by climbing the ladder of a successful business and adding new ideas. They have a firm understanding of the company's culture and work to dramatically change the company, separating it from missteps in the past. Indra Nooyi CEO of PepsiCo is the transformer archetype.
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Savior CEOs rescue businesses on the verge of failure with disciplined actions, unique experience and insights they forge a successful path forward for declining businesses. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD is the savior archetype.
ChatGPT was prompted to write an elevator pitch in the style of the previously listed CEOs.
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The response for Elon Musk included language about “building” a product with “cutting-edge technology.”
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Indra Nooyi’s response included phrases like “the world is changing” and making “a positive impact in the world.”
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Lisa Su's response produced a pitch speaking about being “accountable, tough and disciplined” with an emphasis on “a strong focus on efficiency and performance.”
However, I believe these positions can help entrepreneurs develop their own successful business practices; creating a product your former employer could use to gain an advantage over the competition is disruptive. Buying a company on the brink of bankruptcy that has been mismanaged is a scenario entrepreneurs have explored and practiced.
Prompt engineering is the description of a task AI can accomplish, with instructions embedded in the input. Using prompt engineering, users can fine-tune their input to achieve a desired output incorporating a task description to guide the AI model.
Conversation around ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence
I asked Dr. Short about how students could use this technology as an asset that guides their learning and, additionally, how instructors can use this as well. He spoke about an assignment he is currently using in his classes. “Chat GPT might be valuable in helping create a recipe for material that students can then refine. For example, in my social entrepreneurship class students create crowdfunding campaigns for either DonorsChoose, a platform that caters to public school teachers or GoFundMe, a service which allows a variety of project types to a larger userbase. I plan on students using ChatGPT to create a ‘rough draft’ to show me so I can see how they refine their responses for their particular campaigns this upcoming fall.” This approach allows students to take advantage of popular technology in a constructive way.
The journal article provided some notable conclusions about ChatGPT, including “quality control is essential when using automated tools; a hallmark of success for large language models is their vast associative memory, this strength can also be a weakness. Specifically, models such as OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 are capable of confidently generating “hallucinated” output that appears correct but, it is incorrect or completely fabricated. ChatGPT serves as an emerging tool that can efficiently and flexibly produce a range of narrative content for entrepreneurs and serve to inspire future research at the intersection of entrepreneurship and AI.” ChatGPT’s limitations and potential applications are continually being explored.
Industry Application
After researching various applications of AI, I spoke with Dr. George Benson, Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Management at The University of Texas at Arlington, about AI and ChatGPT from an industry perspective. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence with Human Resource Management.
Dr. Benson told me that Artificial Intelligence is being invested heavily by human resource departments who are looking to automate hiring practices. Specifically, he mentioned “HR is using this as a market opportunity. AI is a useful tool to sift through potential applicants by scanning their resumes for qualifications and experiences. Allowing professionals to hire applicants faster.”
This application allows the technology to handle low-level tasks, but the results generated are being handed to a human to review and act on. He spoke about the potential of A.I. “There are a lot of unknowns, but the technology is new and getting better.” Looking towards the future, technology is already being applied in different ways. These applications are being explored in the classrooms of UTA as well.
Exploration of AI at UTA
The College of Business conducted a survey to understand the faculty’s attitude towards AI in the classroom. It was a part of the “Teaching with Chat GPT” workshop on Friday February 9th, which focused on how to integrate Chat GPT and other AI platforms into teaching.
Dr. Kevin Carr, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing at UTA, was a part of the workshop; he currently teaches Advanced Business Communication. I talked to him about the purpose of the workshop and what he hopes to gain from the group's sessions.
Dr. Carr explained "The point of the workshop is designed to give faculty ideas for instruction and to develop classroom activities to work with students. Our goal for the workshop is to introduce Artificial Intelligence as a teaching tool for faculty, including showing what AI can do potentially in the classroom. We are going to be very open to faculty’s direction, in terms of ongoing discussions and meetings.”
Personal Take
Artificial Intelligence or Chat GPT, in my view, is another useful tool in the toolbox of technology. It will take the air out of certain industries, and it will change jobs, yet every major technological advancement has the potential to do so. The automobile was considered radical, the use of plastic, computers in the workplace, and alternative energy have been impactful on society.
Alternative energy was headlined as the end of oil use. The automobile changed the way cities were formed and led to the creation of a national highway system. Society has always found a way to adapt and overcome major technological innovations, artificial intelligence is not any different.
AI is the technology of tomorrow. It reminds me of something Dr. George Benson said, “It's cool software that is a sophisticated search engine.” Google, one of the most popular search engines, reshaped the internet, as you search for resources, it is a natural starting point. AI and ChatGPT are an evolution, for students it is a tremendous resource consulting a CEO archetype, creating business pitches, and most importantly shaping the future.
