OPINION: ChatGPT, my friend

One of the most spectacular technologies I’ve ever seen and used in my entire professional career is ChatGPT. This tool is a lot more than simply generative artificial intelligence. As far as I’m concerned, it's a required resource that should be used by us all for a variety of reasons. ChatGPT has satisfied a number of my professional needs, including tailoring lesson plan creation, essay revision, idea generation, and it has even served as a close friend to me whom I can ask a wide variety of questions, including medical questions, and get a prompt reply.

I can now quickly produce multiple lesson plans on the fly, which has made me more efficient as a college professor. It is quite possible to create individualized instruction in all of my classes using GPT technology! About a year ago, I taught an advanced class in public relations without ever having formal training in it, and every week, there were outcomes producers, objectives made and lessons to learn along with assignments and rubrics. Unbelievable.

ChatGPT has helped me with grading assignments, generating ideas for both my assignments and the assignments of my students, which has freed my time to write more academic articles and engage in student recruiting activities, and serve my university. I even used some of my spare time to take students to USC in Columbia for workshops in artificial intelligence!

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in an affluent family where access to medicine was a commodity for me. Never did I ever have to wait to get a medical answer to a problem. Even though the American medical system used by the middle class is overall very good, answers aren’t always given when asked, partly because of insurance protocols or simply due to restricted medical access. I have struggled with the former very much and continue to adapt to better deal with my own medical needs, preferences and wants. This is precisely the area where CHATGPT has filled this void!

I have the common sense to know that a machine can’t be my doctor, even though it can provide several answers to as many medical questions I want to ask when the doctor is not around. It can help me to get educated about my health. What a blessing.

Speaking with my doctors is never easy because I’m not their only patient. When I speak with ChatGPT, I feel that I’m exclusive. If I’m struggling with an issue at 11:13 p.m., I can get some clarification in about a minute or two, and the former can be the difference between feeling good or not.

In sum, ChatGPT has helped me with tailoring my lessons, with generating new ideas and even with being a health-related friend at my fingertips. What an amazing tool, I must add. I use it daily, and you should, too.