Exploring the Boundaries: Understanding the Limitations of ChatGPT

by | Article, ChatGPT

With popular ‘gurus’ like Gary Vaynerchuk and even big names such as Bill Gates talking about ChatGPT transforming the internet as we know it, there’s no getting away from the fact that AI tools are here to stay… and they’ll probably only get better.
While the naysayers may say that AI content will never catch on… or the prognosticators may predict AI tools terminating most copywriters’ careers the truth is that ChatGPT is a boon to online marketers.
If you know how to use it correctly, it can do wonders for your online business. It’ll save you time and reduce your costs when employed correctly.
However, despite the versatility and impressiveness of ChatGPT, it does have a few kinks in its AI armor. These limitations will probably be around for quite a while because at the end of the day, ChatGPT is a robot, and it’ll never replace a human… for now.
That said, there’s a quote that goes, “Out of limitations comes creativity.”
This sums up what you’ll need to do to get around ChatGPT’s downsides. Creativity will help you to get the most out of the tool, even if it has shortcomings in certain areas. Now let’s see what they are…

* Lacks originality
ChatGPT can ONLY give you what’s already out there. It’s incapable of being imaginative or creative. All its generated text is derived from the data that was input into it.
Even if you asked it to create fiction stories for you, it can only give you permutations and combinations of stories that it already has in its ‘database’.
Only humans can think outside the box and come up with brand new ideas that have never been seen or heard of before.

* Lacks empathy
ChatGPT is a robot. The content it creates will never have the wit and ‘flavor’ that only a talented human writer is capable of. Furthermore, ChatGPT’s content can be repetitive.
The astute and discerning reader will immediately be able to pick up on the fact that the content doesn’t sound like what a human would normally write.
When creating sales copy that requires one to empathize with the problems the prospect has, ChatGPT will never be able to match an A-list copywriter who writes in a way which resonates with the prospect.
Emotion is everything when trying to win someone over and ChatGPT lacks it. While it can create reasonably good copy, there’s still a ‘missing part’ that you’ll need to fill in emotion.

* Can’t handle complex queries
The best way to get a proper answer from ChatGPT will be to ask it to do one or two tasks at a time… and keep getting it to refine the answer by feeding it more prompts. If your prompt has too many requirements and specifications, ChatGPT will not be able to process your request competently.
Which brings us to the next point…

* ChatGPT is only as good as the person using it
In the hands of a proficient user, ChatGPT is formidable. In the hands of someone clueless, ChatGPT is about as useful as diet water.
It’s unable to detect user errors and doesn’t offer suggestions. If you ask it the wrong thing, it’ll give you a shoddy answer.

* Can be inaccurate
As mentioned earlier, ChatGPT can only give you content based on its data set. However, as times change, fact and ideas can become outdated. This means ChatGPT can give you inaccurate facts. This is why you must fact check all content you get from this tool.

* Lacks personalization
While ChatGPT can cook up lame jokes and limericks, it’s incapable of understanding sarcasm, humor and context. All content generated by ChatGPT tends to be robotic in nature.
Even when it tries to write in a conversational tone, every now and then, it’ll seem ‘off’. The best way to overcome this problem will be to infuse ChatGPT’s content with your own ‘voice’ and personality.
Don’t just use the content as it is. Take it, tweak it, rephrase and rewrite parts of it… add some personal stories and experiences and transform the robotic text into a content masterpiece that will hook your readers in and keep them reading to the last word.
All in all, ChatGPT is great… but it’s not the be-all and end-all of content creation. It’s a tool… and just like all tools, it has its limitations. Now that you know what they are, you can use your creativity and take different approaches to overcome them.

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” – Abraham Maslow

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