Silicon Valley is not Broadway. But given the amount of drama it generates, it could make for a lively theatre district.
When intelligence, ambition and wealth collide – which they do every day in the Valley – there is bound to be upheaval.
Recently, Sam Altman was sacked as the CEO of OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company. The OpenAI Board was worried about some of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, and wanted a more cautious approach from its CEO. Regardless of the validity of their concerns, Altman’s removal was seen as excessive. There was an outcry against the decision and a pushback against the OpenAi Board. Eventually, there was a renegotiation (over McDonald’s and boba tea, reportedly). Altman was reinstated.
Tracking the Altman story reminded me of my encounter with ChatGPT, and the lessons I learnt from it.
Some days ago a vacancy opened up at Eminence for a content writer. We spread the word. Along with the application, candidates were asked to send a writing assignment on one of a list of subjects given by us. People might have several published articles from blogs or their previous jobs. These certainly give an employer an idea of the person’s writing ability. But suitability is a slightly different matter, and you get a better idea about it when you give candidates an assignment of your own.
What followed was an experience instructive in the way job seekers function nowadays.
The first essay I received was very impressive. With heightened anticipation, I went through the other entries. At the same time, a part of me was realistic. It is not possible for every application to be spectacular.
It was not very surprising therefore that the subsequent submissions were uninspiring.
But then I spotted a few more gems.
It was too good to be true, and soon, the penny dropped. All of the well-written pieces were almost identical to each other. The points were the same, and so was the construction.
Obviously, the candidates had used ChatGPT.
When I discussed this with some of my colleagues, I was told that this has become endemic in workplaces.
I am aware that things are not easy in the post-pandemic job market. While there is some recovery, it is not at pre-Covid levels. As per a report by Azim Premji University titled State of Working India 2023: Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes, the unemployment rate for graduates under-25 is a worrying 42.3 percent.
At the other end of the spectrum, many in the 40-plus age bracket are competing for jobs too. Their price tag and seniority – which in a way are signs of success – go against them in this scenario. And this is at a time when India is trying to eradicate pension culture, with the retirement age in many fields raised to 70.
The result is a mad scramble whenever an opportunity opens up, and a temptation for the young as well as not-so-young to use desperate measures like ChatGPT to project something they are not. ‘Fake it till you make it’ is the credo of many these days. (If you must, fake it till you become it, as Amy Cuddy advised in her viral TED talk.)
I would like to make a couple of points in this article (written with my bare hands).
One, employers are not fools. They can spot ChatGPT content. And even if you get away with it once, how long will the charade last? You will be found out sooner than later. So it is in your best interest to be honest with your submission.
Two, don’t underestimate your competition. They are onto every new trick in the game. If you think you will ace an assignment with ChatGPT, they are thinking that as well. And ultimately all of you will be exposed.
I am not against taking the help of AI. Some familiarity with it is a must today. But use it to empower yourself, without becoming its slave. Your originality and effort must be visible in your work.
Genuine ability and hard work are going to take you far in your career, not copy-pasting material from the internet.
About Author:
Mitu Samar – CEO, Eminence Strategy Consulting, and the views expressed in this article are her own
After having worked with well-known companies like CRISIL, Standard & Poor’s, Aditya Birla Capital, ICICI Prudential MF, and The Great Eastern Shipping, Mitu chose to turn to entrepreneurship with an objective to help companies and individuals move from the consideration set to the conversion set.
Mitu serves as an Independent Director on the boards of the Times Internet Limited, and Shree Digvijay Cement.
An experienced media trainer and a certified leadership coach she actively coaches C-Suite leaders on making their presence and messaging impactful. This in turn enables them to strengthen their personal brand that feeds into corporate reputation. Passionate about plugging the leaky pipeline of the female workforce, Mitu has mentored over 150 women and young professionals on how to succeed in professional life while maintaining a healthy balance in personal life, under CII Western Region Women Network’s initiative- ‘100 hours of change’.
The Consultant’s Review Magazine recently recognized Mitu as one of the ‘20 Most Promising Women Consultants’ in 2020.
