Popular AI Software Now Applying For Jobs
ChatGPT was used to generate cover letters for three jobs, and while every result lacked personality, the structure of a successful letter was there.
An article from Business Insider opens up a new, and terrifying, aspect of the popular AI program, ChatGPT. Author Beatrice Nolan decided to use OpenAI’s chatbot to write cover letters for prospective jobs, automating one of the worst parts of anyone’s job search. Already academics are worried over the software’s use by students to write papers, and unnamed entertainment news site writers are concerned about news articles written entirely by AI.
Nolan’s experiment with ChatGPT started out by feeding the program job descriptions and some sentences of work experience. Actual hiring managers for the two positions applied for, a social-media assistant position and a job as a purchase-ledger clerk, looked over the letters and shared their findings. One of the experts responded saying “We would likely think this was written by a genuine candidate and follow up with a screening call,” meaning that in that situation, an AI-generated cover letter would have been able to get the candidate’s foot in the door.
Another hiring expert, said “I would likely send the ledger-clerk candidate through to the next round so I could get a better feel for their personality during the interview process.” While ChatGPT would have earned an interview for one role, the social media assistant position did not go as well, with both experts saying that the letters lacked personality. “It lacks the personal touch where we learn about a candidate’s human experiences, anecdotal evidence to back up their skills, and passion for the role” was how an expert summed up the social media assistance letter.
While the first position would have earned the candidate an interview on the strength of the AI generated letters, once the process starts, it is entirely on the candidate to interview well. Both hiring experts suggested that instead of using ChatGPT to write cover letters, job seekers should use the software to generate templates and then fill in their personal information. Following up on the original Business Insider article, Futurism made their own attempt at a cover letter, this one was for a social media assistant position with the San Francisco Giants.
The second time around, the letter had already evolved from the personality less original pair, including the phrase “as a lifelong Giants fan,” demonstrating ChatGPT’s capability to learn. In addition to the added color, this third letter also included the usual checkmark phrases for a cover letter such as “strong team player,” “extensive experience,” and “skilled in using various social media platforms.” While the final letter was a slight improvement over the original two, AI-generated cover letters, as with AI-generated movies, tend to lack personality.
For now, we don’t have to worry about ChatGPT applying for our jobs, but the program used as a template could be very useful for job-searchers. At some point, a prospective employer will ask for an interview, which will then remove any edge that can be provided by AI. The eventual singularity bringing about the extinction of the human race is coming, eventually, slowly, but it’s not here today.
