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Have you tried ChatGPT? The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, a program that simulates human conversation, has created a massive buzz since it was released in November 2022 by the company OpenAI. The online tool can be used to generate answers to questions and much more. College students have used it to write essays, and job applicants have used it to write resumes and cover letters. The myriad business uses include customer service and marketing. 

With AI tools like ChatGPT, the user does not need to piece together information about a topic from multiple sources. The tool pulls information from across the internet and puts it into an almost-ready-to-use document. 

For businesses, AI can cut down on hours of getting up to speed on a subject, since a document will quickly be created that offers a comprehensive view of available information. That allows the focus to be on delivering the product or service. An organization’s subject-matter expert can use AI to sift through the collected information to determine what is valid and applicable. The employee can also focus on the aspects of a topic that are most important to the organization or the client it serves and use the information to complete necessary tasks.

While there is the potential to increase productivity and efficiency, there are important factors to weigh if you are considering using AI in your organization, including the following:

Costs 

Some companies purchase AI software capable of interacting with their organizations’ data. While that may make it more useful, there are varying levels of cost a business can incur. ChatGPT, which has free and paid options, can gather information through 2021, which may not be as current as needed. 

Copyright

While AI tools are sophisticated, they pull information from existing content across the internet, some of which may be copyrighted. Employers need to help employees understand copyright law if they are writing on behalf of the organization. While employees may believe that if they change a few words, they avoid copyright violations, that is not the case. There are narrow copyright exceptions for fair use or educational purposes that people often believe protect their use of already-written material. Most often, that is not the case, and relying on such exceptions is not advised. There are organizations with a multitude of images or articles on the internet that routinely send cease-and-desist letters to individuals and companies that have used their images or documents without paying for them. 

Confidentiality

AI writing tools comb the internet for information to load onto their platforms. An employee could allow one of these tools to access their organization’s internal data that should not be disclosed. Employers may want employees in a position to access and distribute the data through a chat tool to sign a confidentiality agreement.  

Accuracy

Getting the correct information is crucial for your organization. AI is not a substitute for the expertise or judgment of the employees using the tools. If you experiment with this type of tool, you will find that the writing style can be redundant, and it can leave important subject matter out of the content. Employees must ensure that they are closely reviewing any work done with the help of AI tools and that the same standards are present in anything produced for clients. 

AI is a fast-changing area of technology with a wide variety of uses. Any AI-related policies created now should be reviewed, perhaps more often than other policies that are not based on advancing technology. If you have any questions, please email the Employers Council Member Experience Team.