Disclaimer: Use AI platforms at your own risk, and always follow your firm's guidance and rules – as well as your own common sense! These days, we all seem to have too much to do and not enough hours in the day. There's a reasonable debate as to whether technology is a friend or foe in this struggle, but in terms of my day-to-day experience, ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model developed by OpenAI, has been a game-changer. It really does help me accomplish much more than I could on my own.
Reflecting on a recent discussion at last month's PDC conference in Charlotte, it's clear that views on the use of AI in our industry vary widely. While some have embraced it, many others remain skeptical or simply don't know how to use it. If you're curious how AI can maximize your efficiency, I'd like to share a few ways I have incorporated it into my daily work. You may find that it works wonders for you as well! I'll also give you a few tips to use ChatGPT most effectively.
(To be clear, this is not an advertisement for ChatGPT – just my own experience!)
1. First Drafts of Anything and Everything ChatGPT knocks out a pretty decent first draft, helping me efficiently draft video scripts, website content, marketing materials, blog posts (including portions of this one), and emails.
For law firm talent management teams, you might turn to ChatGPT for first drafts of orientation memos, training materials, policies, handbooks, associate review messages, and more.
With a first draft in hand, you can focus your limited time on editing and fine-tuning your document, creating a stronger final product. Just remember – ChatGPT is an AI language model, not a law firm talent management professional. You are the brains behind the operation. Give detailed direction on what you want to say, how you want to say it, and who your intended audience is. More detail will generally yield a better output from ChatGPT. 2. Smoothing Out a Very Rough Draft
Sometimes it's not the first draft I have issues with, but smoothing out the language after I've gotten the first "something" down on paper. If I'm struggling to make a paragraph sound right after it’s on the page, sometimes I'll ask ChatGPT to smooth out the wording while keeping the substance the same (see, e.g., the first paragraph of this post). The revised draft produced by ChatGPT will still typically require heavy editing, but the paragraph will usually flow nicely and help me move quickly past my mental block. 3. Brainstorming
ChatGPT can be a fantastic brainstorming partner when you need new ideas to get your creativity flowing. For example, I used to struggle to develop interesting titles for my videos. My titles were descriptive but not exactly captivating (see, e.g., "Asking for informal feedback"). But then I started using ChatGPT to brainstorm, and I was able to come up with much more attention-grabbing titles. Could I have come up with them on my own? Sure. But with ChatGPT, it's a lot easier.
And you can use ChatGPT to brainstorm helpful ideas for lots of different things. Say you need a fun ice-breaker for a gathering. ChatGPT will quickly generate a list of ideas that bring people together. If you don't like the initial list, ask it to give you more ideas or add specificity to your request. Brainstorming is one of the things ChatGPT does best.
Effective Usage Tips:
Now let's turn to some tips to help you get the most out of ChatGPT.
Engage Conversationally: Interact with ChatGPT conversationally rather than using it as a traditional search engine. Follow up with additional instructions if it doesn't give you what you want the first time. It's more like chatting with a junior employee or assistant than using a search engine.
Provide Detailed Context: Provide comprehensive context in your requests to refine AI responses. Specify who your audience is, the setting (e.g., law firm), the level of formality, etc.
Verify Facts: Never take factual assertions from ChatGPT at face value. Verify them independently. It's safest to use ChatGPT to put a voice to your own thoughts and knowledge. It will often give you responses that make no sense, so don't rely on it to provide you with facts, opinions, or data. Remember, it's stringing together words based on data inputs, not using intuition, real-life experience, or common sense.
Be Cautious of Privacy Considerations: Remember that ChatGPT is not a private platform, so do not share sensitive or confidential information during interactions.
*****
We are just getting started with AI, and it will no doubt change how we work in unforeseen ways down the road. For now, as long as it complies with your firm's policies, it may be worth starting to dabble to see how it can help you work better!
By: Kandice Thorn, Founder, WorkBetter for Lawyers
Comments