I’m not going to say that ChatGPT and AI aren’t good for anything. I want to remain open-minded. I’m sure the bubonic plague and nuclear weapons also have their redeeming aspects. And Hitler, I’ve been told, built the Autobahn.
So let’s not deal in absolutes here. My position on most “AI”, since it became the latest thing about three years ago, is that most AI represents a solution in search of a problem.
And oftentimes, AI makes existing challenges much, much worse.
Take the job search process. That has always been a challenge for most people, to one degree or another.
But looking for a job was much easier, before ChatGPT was involved. When I graduated from university in 1991, things were relatively simple, indeed. These were the steps:
- Get your résumé formatted. (This could be done by you, if you had access to a PC. Otherwise, a typesetter did this for a very reasonable fee.)
- Send out copies of your résumé with typed cover letters.
- Network a little.
- Wait for HR managers to call you.
- Go on in-person interviews until you found a mutual match.
Was this a perfect process? No. Dealing with all that paper was sometimes a little cumbersome, I’ll admit. There were also some inevitable delays, while you waited on snail mail to deliver your résumé to prospective employers.
But on the flip side, HR departments were usually responsive. They almost always sent you a written response, even if it was, “Thanks, but you’re not a good match for us. We’ll keep your résumé on file.”
(Oh, and back then, HR departments actually had filing cabinets.)
Fast-forward to the present, and the age of the ChatGPT-generated, spam résumé. According to an article in ARS Technica:
“Employers are drowning in AI-generated job applications, with LinkedIn now processing 11,000 submissions per minute…
Due to AI, the traditional hiring process has become overwhelmed with automated noise. It’s the résumé equivalent of AI slop…
The flood of ChatGPT-crafted résumés and bot-submitted applications has created an arms race between job seekers and employers, with both sides deploying increasingly sophisticated AI tools in a bot-versus-bot standoff that is quickly spiraling out of control.”
Wow, it sounds like ChatGPT is really making our lives more efficient!
Never mind that ChatGPT and AI are draining resources from the environment, and creating a new sustainability crisis. The bottom line is: most of what ChatGPT does either a.) has no discernible benefit, or b.) makes existing processes (like matching jobs with job seekers) much worse.
(Mark Zuckerberg has all but ruined Facebook with his addiction to AI. Facebook advertising is now close to useless. That’s a whole other issue that I might explore in a subsequent post.)
I’m not saying that we need to go back to 1991. I love the Internet, for what it’s worth. I carry a smartphone everywhere, just like you do.
But technology isn’t beneficial just because it’s “technology”. If you believe otherwise, then I can assume that you love nuclear and biological weapons (?) They’re “technology”, after all.
Some technologies are overhyped. Some don’t deliver what they promise. Some technologies create more problems than benefits.
And so it goes with AI and ChatGPT.
If you don’t believe that, then try to get a job at Chipotle by submitting your résumé online. According to the aforementioned ARS Technica article, Chipotle is one of the companies that has had to employ protective measures because of all the ChatGPT-generated slop.
Chipotle offers fast-food jobs. Imagine what the HR departments of law firms and investment banks must be dealing with.
Maybe job seekers should go back to sending paper résumés. The future of job seeking may eventually resemble 1991, if ChatGPT continues to gum up the Internet.
-ET