Informal discussion with ChatGPT
It has become very fashionable to announce the end of many sectors of activity following the advent of ChatGPT (3). We did the same with Dall-E for graphic works, and we are not at the end of our surprises.
But what is it, really?
Let’s take, for example, technical communication. Can ChatGPT replace all or part of the work of a professional technical writer? To find out, we spoke to the ChatGPT trainee.
Let’s start the meeting
Chatgpt, could you create a support technical documentation for my new product, a mechanic watch based on eta 2824 movement with zaphir glass ?
Sure, I can help create a technical documentation for your mechanic watch.
Product Description:
- Mechanic watch based on ETA 2824 movement
- Zaphir Glass
Technical specifications:
- Movement: ETA 2824
- Glass: Zaphir
- Case diameter: (specify the size in millimeters)
- […]
Maintenance:
- It is recommended to have the watch serviced by a professional every 3-5 years to ensure proper functioning.
- […]
This information will provide a basic outline for the technical documentation for your mechanic watch. If you would like to add more information or make any changes, please let me know.
Thanks ChatGPT, that’s informative… but frankly succinct. I don’t think I’m hiring you. What do you think?
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Well, let’s start again, it was obviously time for a coffee break.
ChatGPT, I would like a functional explanation of the clockwork so that I can perform periodic maintenance on it, repair it if necessary, this written for an engineer in an engineer’s way.
A clockwork is a mechanical device that uses a series of gears and springs to measure and maintain a consistent interval of time. To perform maintenance on a clockwork, an engineer must understand its components and how they work together to keep time accurately.
The main components of a clockwork include:
Escapement: This is the mechanism that regulates the release of energy stored
[…]
To perform maintenance on a clockwork, an engineer should follow these steps:
Clean and oil all moving parts, including the gear train, escapement, and pendulum.
[…]
It is important for an engineer to have a good understanding of the mechanics of a clockwork before attempting any maintenance or repairs. It is also recommended to have the proper tools and a well-lit workspace to ensure that all work is performed accurately and safely.
Meeting debriefing
Thank you. Well, we have broadened the debate, but we are far from being able to use these explanations outside of an introductory course on watchmaking. We have made a few more attempts, but always remain either in the very generic, or in the example.
ChatGPT is a powerful tool. It answers our questions based on probabilities and what it has received as a source of information. There should be no doubt that if it is possible to give the whole of an existing company’s documentation to an AI and train it, it will be able to do the bulk of the work. So it can do most of the heavy lifting: producing introductory texts, presentations. But when it comes to writing 100% relevant content, you can’t trust the algorithms. Probability and statistics are right, but only if you give it all the right information.
If you ask a ChatGPT for an opinion on a particular ‘socialite’, it will take into account their political orientation and their work, for example. A journalist from such and such a party will ‘probably’ have written a book. But this is not necessarily the case.
Oiling up a movement to make it work is likely, but following this instruction could ruin your watch.
In conclusion for this first interview with our ChatGPT trainee, we can say that his processing speed, that is the most impressive, is amazing. It is a great help in preparing standard letters, doing tasks that do not require thinking – an AI does not think…
It is a powerful tool to help with writing, composition, we will see in our next interview what he thinks about its limits and a human technical writer!
