Since I work as an instructor at a community college, I hear a lot about "workforce training" as a major institutional push. Most students who come to my school usually do so because they want more options for employment in the longer term.
So how is AI potentially going to be used-- perhaps even embraced-- in the work place? It's already used in medicine, coding, and public safety. Since I'm focused on generative AI, and writing in particular, I wanted to think more about how AI writing models might be part of various industries and internal communications. You may have noticed as it became embedded in familiar tools, and some of the names in the articles below might ring a bell too. One of the arguments about including AI text generation in classrooms (at least college-level classrooms) is that these are going to be used in the workplace, and it didn't take much digging to find examples. In fact, a few of these mention practices that have been underway for a few years.
There's a difference between working with AI and being replaced by it, of course. As I searched on this topic, I came across a lot of anxiety about the latter. It's not an old concern. Looking at just a few different sectors that depend on writing gave me food
"AI and the future of work: 5 experts on what ChatGPT, DALL-E, and other AI tools mean for artists and knowledge workers," Mark Finlayson for FIU news & The Conversation, January 11, 2023
A professor of Computer Science at FIU compiled this commentary. He asks for contributions from several other academics at other institutions. The array of perspectives is helpful, since they each hit on different questions and possibilities. Those gray areas are usually where the interesting work happens.
"These tools can help your employees stop fighting on Slack. Maybe." Lizzy Lawrence and Kate Kaye for Protocol, February 24, 2022
This brief article represents a larger trend of embedding AI writing tools in corporate communication tools. Written after the widespread emergence of remote work, it notes the reliance on asynchronous communication. I find the discussion of style guides for accurate internal communication really intriguing-- also that tone and inclusivity are part of them, as language has become something of a battleground in recent years. They've been part of Intuit's Writer since at least 2020.
"Is AI Coming for My Job? A Reporter Tested 5 Writing Tools,"Sara Friedman for The Hustle, November 11, 2022/January 13, 2023
This reporter's field test of 5 tools, based on a broad but relevant prompt, allows her to play with style and tone setting in some of them too. She does get variations in her responses. I'd be curious to see which ones people find satisfactory, if any.
"Report finds employees embrace AI when they see its value," Sara Brown for the MIT Sloan School of Management, November 16, 2022
This executive summary-style article parses out key points from a longer report (links to it are embedded in the piece). December's splashy headlines about ChatGPT reflected how it had crept up on all of us. The report concludes that most employees don't realize they've been using AI tools. Of the 4 categories, office productivity tools-- including writing-- are by far the most commonly used. The final line of this short piece, though, lingers in my mind as the premise of a dozen potential screenplays...some of which have already been produced.
"Will ChatGPT make lawyers obsolete? (Hint: be afraid)," Jenna Greene for Reuters, December 9, 2022
OK, maybe it's the most maligned profession out there, but we all rely on legal professionals. Their sparring is over matters that are usually of human concern. Before meandering too far into a theoretical legal-chatbot-dystopia (in which we actually miss lawyers), Greene et. al. confidently note that language models could support the work of lawyers and their associates, rather than replace them. (Maybe they don't know about this machine-generated law review article from 2021.)
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