The world of GenAI tools is quite new to me. I tend to only use ChatGPT as a brainstorming platform, for recipes when I lack inspiration, or for coding when I am stumped. In the past, I have always been concerned that the use of GenAI tools, while offering great benefits, might lead to laziness or a lack of understanding of some topics. Furthermore, in my opinion, these tools are designed in such a way that if you are not specific enough in your search prompt, you won’t get the desired answer. This often results in spending more time explaining to the GenAI tool what you want, which could take longer than doing it yourself, especially in areas you are familiar with.
I do agree that for people who don’t want to spend hours learning programming languages or reading through cookbooks, GenAI tools can be convenient. The same applies to me when I need help with something I know little about. Ultimately, GenAI should be a tool to make life easier; it should complement personal growth and aid when needed.
A recent article from Harvard Business Review, Don’t Let Gen AI Limit Your Team’s Creativity (2024), highlights the findings of an experiment conducted by K. Gohar and J. Utley. The premise of the experiment was to determine whether the use of various GenAI applications would influence a team’s ability to solve business problems. The control group approached the problem without AI assistance, while the experimental groups were allowed to use any platform they chose. The results of the experiment underscored both the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI usage. As the article stated: “Generative AI helped workers avoid awful ideas, but it also led to more average ideas.”
The article also proposed a set of best practices to combine the advantages of using AI with individual brainstorming. Three of these, in my view, would be particularly helpful gaining the most form GenAI, while still enabling personal growth:
- Make time for individual brainstorming without the bot.
- Approach AI as an ongoing conversation partner, not an oracle.
- Have someone outside the team facilitate the final decision.
Don’t let Gen AI limit your team’s creativity. (2024, 6 september). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2024/03/dont-let-gen-ai-limit-your-teams-creativity
Very interesting results, Quinten! This really highlights how you just can’t blindly trust AI for your input, ideas and work. It’s definitely recommended to enhance your thinking and working capabilities, but not replace them.