10 ways to use ChatGPT – for your business, for yourself, or for fun

If you’ve been anywhere in the vicinity of the internet recently you will have come across the latest buzz-hype that has revitalised the mainstream popularity of the tech industry – ChatGPT. The popular language model tool is hot on the lips of every casual web surfer through to CEOs of major corporations and has even caused AI stocks to soar. 

ChatGPT is the latest generative language model chatbot from OpenAI, creators of the ground-breaking AI image-generating tool Dall-E which can create any image conceivable from a few prompts. Similar to Dall-E, ChatGPT uses deep learning to generate text – instead of images – designed to be human-like. The tool is able to answer any question or prompt in a way that mimics an intelligent human response.

The tool can be adjusted for specific requirements and people are leveraging the AI-powered robot to assist with a host of different tasks. Here are 10+ ways you can use ChatGPT for your business, for yourself, or just for fun.

1. Productivity boosting

A big challenge for busy professionals is finding time to manage routine tasks that get in the way of important work. You can outsource most of your time-consuming mundane tasks to ChatGPT to keep you productive at all times. ChatGPT can write emails, summarise text, manage your agenda, and much more – becoming your clever little digital assistant. All you need to do is write a short prompt and ChatGPT will generate whatever you need in no time, boosting your productivity. 

2. Creating a coding skeleton

Developers have a new feature in their ‘how to make coding easier thanks to AI’ toolkit. ChatGPT can generate coding skeletons from just a few simple prompts that include your chosen frameworks, technologies, and versions. It also helps to organise project documents quickly and keeps them up-to-date in real-time which saves a lot of time and frustration. You can also ask it to check your code for any mistakes which it will correct if any are found. Unsurprisingly, ChatGPT has caused an uproar among software developers. StackOverflow’s site traffic has dipped since the tool launched and the company has resorted to a ban on any content uploaded using ChatGPT.

3. Troubleshooting and understanding code

Every coder’s nightmare is picking up a project from another developer and having to understand code they didn’t write. Navigating through ‘spaghetti code’ is time-consuming (and super frustrating), especially when meeting tight deadlines. ChatGPT is able to decipher poorly written and unorganised code with a simple prompt – you just need to know exactly what to ask for, which is a skill. You can ask it to explain the code’s functionality and it will untangle the spaghetti immediately. 

4. Writing letters 

ChatGPT can help write letters too. No, not Jane Austen-style cursive love letters to whatever Gen Z version of Mr Darcy looks like (Mr D?) – more like cover letters, application letters, job descriptions, and the like. For companies looking to hire talent quickly, simply type in basic job roles and a decent job description will appear. If you’re looking to cast the net far and wide in your job search, ChatGPT can churn out as many cover letters that cater to specific application requirements as you can think of, in bulk.  

5. Learning complex topics

ChatGPT can also be used as a valuable learning tool. You can easily access the wealth of the internet’s knowledge and receive information on any topic imaginable delivered to you in easy-to-understand answers. ChatGPT is a master at explaining complex concepts and terms in ways people can easily understand.  If there is a business task or research you need to complete that you have no understanding of, simply type your query into ChatGPT and you’ll go from novice to pro in no time. You can even ask it to translate information into other languages. Want to understand how gravity warps spacetime or why otters hold hands when they sleep? You’ll soon find out (and be a hit at parties).

6. Solve maths problems

If numbers are like hieroglyphs to you and equations are like understanding slam poetry in Yiddish then ChatGPT is your new bestie. If you need to solve any maths problem, ChatGPT will be your very own mathematic professor and not only help you solve the problem, but it will also demonstrate to you how to solve it. Access to quick mathematics is a benefit for many situations, from aviation and engineering to 3D design and game development. Plus, it also helps solve the headache of splitting the bill for large tables (which saves friendships).

7. Write standardised responses 

If you need to quickly reply to a post on social media but you’re too busy to deal with it, then ChatGPT can write your response in no time. After a few prompts, the tool can generate as many reply options as you like until you find one with the right tone and appropriate information. If you don’t have a chatbot, you can also use ChatGPT to formulate standardised replies to customer queries. Customer Care departments utilise a bunch of standardise responses to assist with a broad range of customer queries, so having a smart tool to help you write various versions is super helpful. This can also be used for community management to respond to social media users, adding real-time value to your customers.

8. Creative writing 

Much to the anguish of this copywriter, ChatGPT can also be used to generate longer format text that is creative and interesting, from blogs and social media captions to poetry and lyrics. It can be your very own binary wordsmith, assembling words at random which can sometimes make a lot of sense, other times it can be an uncomfortable look into AI’s soul. Creative writing requires imagination and human perspective, so be sure to edit the generated text before hitting the ‘send’ button to your Creative Writing professor. Better yet, use it as a thought starter and idea generator to build upon in your own words.

9. Creating your own smart assistant 

If you don’t want your life to be managed by Siri or Alexa anymore (they already know too much about you), you can use ChatGPT to make your very own smart assistant. You can do this by asking ChatGPT to ‘hack’ your existing assistant to find out what they have control over and access to. Then you just simply need to write a detailed prompt handing over access to your new assistant. It’s a bit more complicated than this, but you get the idea.

10. Spelling and translations

As a language tool, ChatGPT is good enough to slay the competition at a Spelling Bee with its binary eyes closed. If you have written something that needs a professional edit, the tool can help correct any spelling and grammar issues it finds – *Grammarly frantically finds synonyms for “obsolete”*. It can also translate your text into any language or translate any text into the language of your choice. Now you can order food in a foreign country with confidence.

Bonus round – personal use

For the latest episode of ‘How the Internet Got More Fun’, here are a few cool ways to spend your web surfing free time using ChatGPT.

Making jokes

If you are terribly unfunny (or Swedish), you can use ChatGPT to trick people into thinking you have a personality. Simply ask the tool for a joke about a particular topic and you will receive a few one-liners generated by your very own artificial jokester. If you’ve always wanted to make people laugh with you rather than at you, ChatGPT will help you level up your social game with AI-powered humour. 

Pass exam

There’s never been a better time to be a slacker – or a lawyer, or doctor, or business analyst. ChatGPT has been used to write essays for examinations – and passed (most of the time). People used ChatGPT to take a series of tests and examinations at high-level universities to see just how impressive the tool’s capabilities are. Here’s it report card so far: 

• The University of Pennsylvania Business School (Wharton) – B+
• The University of Minnesota Law – passed all 4 exams
• United States Medical Licensing Exam – passed all 3 parts
• University-level microbiology test – passed
• College philosophy essay – impressed professor

Final (human-created) word

The verdict is in – ChatGPT deserves its hype. The powerful language tool can help us be more productive and efficient in the workplace, allowing us time to create better-quality output. 

But remember that working with these kinds of AI tools still requires critical thinking to be effective, just like working with other humans. Tying random things without context or relevance to your particular task will yield nothing but nonsense.

And no, the tool is not going to take over your job – it is a powerful asset that can help you perform your job better and easier.

Mario Grunitz

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