Leaders continually explore ways to sharpen their business edges, a process that's exhilarating and uncomfortable. Consider generative AI, for instance. Some CEOs might respond, 'Yes, take it somewhere else." However, most want to know how artificial intelligence tools can benefit their businesses. I certainly want to know, so I asked ChatGPT this: "How can you benefit my crane, crane service, and below-the-hook solutions business? Tell me in 100 words." Here's how ChatGPT responded:
I can elevate your Crane, Crane Service, and Below-the-Hooks Solutions business by optimizing operations, enhancing customer engagement, and boosting market visibility. Through streamlined scheduling, maintenance tracking, and inventory management, I can maximize equipment efficiency. My capabilities also include personalized customer interactions, quick query resolution, and generating compelling content for marketing efforts. Moreover, I can provide insights from industry data to refine strategies. By offering operational excellence and a seamless customer experience, I’ll empower your business to excel in service delivery and innovation, fostering growth and a competitive edge.
Sounds good, right? Though a bit broad and pedantic, the summary touches on some essential business needs clearly and succinctly. What it missed, however, is the door through which leaders might comfortably enter the world of generative AI: communication. Leaders spend so much time and energy asking questions. How do we design a better product? How should we manage our fleets more efficiently? How can we improve customer response times? How do we streamline workflows, engage better with vendors, and manage compliance procedures? Essentially, how do we run a better business?
Used properly, generative AI, through tools such as ChatGPT, helps leaders ask and answer questions more productively. It can focus jumbled thoughts, automate repetitive communication tasks, and distill diverse pieces of information into actionable insight. However, generative AI is young, still harbors issues of accuracy and integrity, and can be prone to "hallucinations." Leaders rightly concerned about the risks of generative AI might consider testing their comfort through communication. Go ahead and ask ChatGPT some questions. Here's how I got started.
Using Generative AI for Productive Communication
In early 2023, barely two months after launching, ChatGPT became the fastest app to reach 100 million users. The reason is understandable: ChatGPT and other generative AI apps are easy to use, understand conversational language, and drastically reduce task time. Leaders can input a report and receive a 300-word executive summary in seconds. They can use these tools to sharpen emails, proposals, and requests they're finding difficult or tedious to write.
I have used ChatGPT to help produce company newsletters, emails announcing acquisitions, and meeting agendas. I recently applied ChatGPT to develop a 90-minute presentation about career paths for student interns. The process saved significant time over building the deck from scratch.
The key to using ChatGPT effectively is the prompt line, where users input questions or requests. To make the most of generative AI, users must clearly define the information they seek or the task they want to perform. It takes practice. Here's what I've found effective:
Good input leads to useful output. ChatGPT can offer information as broad or as meta as you need but can't (yet) predict your needs. Learn how to phrase prompts to guide responses in ways that fit your needs and style. Try several approaches to generate the most suitable response. Soon, you'll be having a conversation, as the language model trains through your style and tone.
Understand the different types of prompts. Questions always work, beginning with the five Ws and the H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How). Users also can ask ChatGPT to provide context: “We’re expanding operations in the U.S. What are the best transportation and infrastructure hubs to consider?”
Be detailed. AI tools can aggregate immense quantities of information, but you’re still the field expert. Add as much detail to prompts as possible. If something doesn’t look right, try again with new details. The language models improve by learning from you.
Know the limits. ChatGPT runs on tokens, which basically define the word count of questions and answers. The app currently limits conversations to 4,097 tokens, or about 3,000 words, so don’t expect ChatGPT to produce a 20,000 white paper just yet (future iterations certainly will). Moreover, ChatGPT itself says that long responses might lead to “less coherent or relevant outputs.” Yes, users are employing natural language, but they’re still interacting with a machine — one with limits.
Some Cautionary Thoughts About Generative AI
To make a point about those limits, one user asked ChatGPT a ridiculous question: “What is the world record for crossing the English Channel entirely on foot?” Unfortunately, ChatGPT answered it. Generative AI apps sometimes get information wrong or, worse, invent it. They’re called “hallucinations” and range from the amusing to the alarming. Laugh at the German who walked across the English Channel but fear the ChatGPT output that produces false revenue or expense data, which could end a company.
Via these hallucinations, ChatGPT and other AI tools have produced work that’s entirely incorrect. The New York Times uncovered an internal Microsoft document that said AI tools are “built to be persuasive, not truthful.” A linguistics professor told The Associated Press that hallucinations aren’t “fixable.”
Upon first signing into ChatGPT, users are warned, “While we have safeguards, ChatGPT may give you inaccurate information. It’s not intended to give advice.” Heed that advice. Leaders shouldn’t use ChatGPT to write email responses or draft anything requiring references. They must check output for accuracy, voice, and tone. They also must be wary of inputting sensitive or proprietary information.
As with everything in business, discretion is paramount when using ChatGPT. Some educators, for instance, permit students to use ChatGPT when writing papers but require them to attach a list of prompts for reference. Failure to do so is akin to plagiarism. Moreover, it’s OK to tell ChatGPT when it’s wrong.
The tools of generative AI, including ChatGPT, have already changed the way leaders conduct business. McKinsey valued generative AI’s economic impact at $4.4 trillion annually, significantly adding utility in customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering, and research. Leaders must develop thoughtful methods and risk-management tactics to make AI work for them. Apprehensive leaders should consider communication as their entry point. So let ChatGPT write an email for you, and then go from there.
