Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now, and depending on who you talk to, it’s either going to change the world for the better or bring about the end of civilization. I suspect the truth, as usual, is somewhere in between.

I’ve been using ChatGPT for a while now, and I’m pretty open about it. I like it. I use it regularly. But I also think we’re reaching the point where we need to have a more thoughtful conversation about how we’re using AI, not simply whether we’re using it.

For me, ChatGPT is a tool. It’s really no different than Microsoft Word, Outlook, a calculator or any number of other technologies that have made our jobs easier over the years.

What I don’t want is for the tool to become the person.

I Can Usually Spot AI a Mile Away

One of the things that’s becoming increasingly obvious to me is when someone has turned over virtually all of their communication to artificial intelligence.

I’ve worked with agents who clearly use AI to write emails and messages, and I understand why. It’s fast. It’s convenient. And for someone whose first language isn’t English, I think it can be an incredible resource. It can help someone communicate an idea more clearly without language getting in the way.

The problem comes when the finished product no longer sounds anything like the person sending it.

Suddenly, an ordinary email between two real estate agents reads like a legal brief written by a committee of attorneys. There are words and phrases that person would never use in an actual conversation. Everything is overly polished, overly formal and somehow three paragraphs longer than it needs to be.

And strangely enough, I think trying to sound smarter can sometimes have exactly the opposite effect.

If I’ve spoken with you on the phone and then receive an email that sounds nothing like you, I notice. Instead of making your position sound stronger, it can actually diminish it because now I’m wondering which parts are genuinely coming from you.

I’d much rather receive a slightly imperfect email from a real person than a perfectly constructed email that doesn’t sound human.

Why I Use ChatGPT Differently

One of my favorite things about ChatGPT is that it actually allows me to communicate more like myself, not less.

I tend to think out loud. The words in my head come considerably faster than I can type them. So rather than sitting at a keyboard trying to construct the perfect paragraph, I simply talk.

I explain what I’m thinking exactly the way I would explain it to someone sitting across the table from me. Then I use ChatGPT to organize those thoughts, clean up the grammar, remove some repetition and turn them into something readable.

In fact, this article started exactly that way.

The ideas are mine. The opinions are mine. The stories are mine. AI simply helps me get them from my head onto the page faster.

And if somebody asks whether I use ChatGPT, I’ll happily tell them that I do. I’m not particularly interested in pretending otherwise.

Where AI Starts to Make Me Uncomfortable

There are legitimate reasons to be concerned about artificial intelligence.

We’re entering a world where photographs don’t necessarily document something that actually happened. Voices can be replicated. Videos can depict people saying things they never said. And enormous amounts of information can be generated without anyone necessarily knowing whether it’s accurate.

Then there’s the effect AI is having on creative professions.

That’s probably where I personally become much more cautious.

I know people who work in entertainment, graphic design and other creative fields. These are people who have spent years learning their craft and make their living creating things for other people.

Could I type a few sentences into an AI program and have it create a piece of music, an illustration, a logo or an advertisement?

Absolutely.

And I’ll freely admit that I’ve played around with those things. Curiosity gets the better of me just like everybody else.

But when I actually need something important created, particularly something where creativity and originality matter, I’d still rather hire the person who knows how to do it.

A professional brings something to the process that a prompt can’t necessarily replicate. They have judgment. They ask questions. They understand context. They push back when your idea isn’t very good. And sometimes they come up with something you never would have thought to ask for in the first place.

There’s also a human consideration. If someone’s livelihood depends on their creative talent, I don’t particularly want to eliminate them from the equation simply because technology makes it possible.

The Tool Shouldn’t Become the Talent

I don’t think using AI automatically makes something dishonest.

If that were true, we’d have to start questioning spellcheck, Photoshop, calculators, editing software and practically every other technological advancement we’ve adopted.

What matters to me is what you’re asking the technology to do for you.

There’s a big difference between saying, “These are my thoughts; help me communicate them more clearly,” and saying, “Think for me, write for me, create for me and make everyone believe I did it.”

That’s the line I’m trying to navigate.

And I’m sure that line will move as the technology evolves.

AI is going to become considerably better. It’s going to become harder to identify. And we’re probably going to use it in ways five years from now that seem unimaginable today.

But I hope we don’t polish all of the humanity out of the way we communicate with each other.

Sometimes the awkward sentence is part of your personality. Sometimes the joke that isn’t perfectly constructed is what makes somebody laugh. Sometimes saying something in ten ordinary words is considerably more effective than saying it in forty impressive ones.

So yes, I use AI. I like it. I’m fascinated by it. I’m cautious about it.

But at the end of the day, I still want the things that come from me to sound like me.

And if you ever receive an email from me that sounds like it was written by a team of corporate attorneys, please do me a favor and call me out on it.

About David Dorman

David Dorman
Broker Associate, CENTURY 21 Carioti
Central Florida / Orlando Real Estate
Phone: 407-948-8295
Email: david@daviddorman.com
Website: DavidDorman.com

“When you hire David Dorman you GET David Dorman”