Take Off Your Expert Hat

When I first tried ChatGPT, I hated it. All it could produce was bland, erroneous writing that would have taken more time to edit than to write better from scratch. I still don’t love it, and I can’t see myself ever relying on it extensively to do the one activity I love most in the world.

But what about other tasks? Since it first hit the scene, I’ve used AI to narrate blog posts and Youtube videos. I’ve generated cover images for my articles. Yesterday, I even had it code a pricing table for my website. Looking at my use cases for AI, I realized: Wherever I’m not an expert, I don’t mind relying on it—and I bet other people feel the same.

To a seasoned developer, the code ChatGPT gave me might look cluttered and inefficient. A professional voice-over artist can likely feel the lack of nuance in AI voices in their bones. And even as a non-designer, I can see where all the AI images are rough around the edges. So what works for me would make an expert shudder, and it’s the same whenever someone tries to convince me how good a piece of AI writing is.

The lesson? While AI struggles to do any one thing better than an experienced human, it can elevate anyone to a better beginner status in many skills they’re unfamiliar with. Whatever you’re an expert in, chances are, AI will look weak in comparison. But take off your expert hat, and voilà, you might find it helpful here and there.

You’ve earned your expert hat. You should wear it most of the time and wear it proudly. Just don’t let it fool you into dismissing new developments altogether. Remember to be a beginner from time to time, and look at the whole forest rather than just your favorite trees.