r/ChatGPT • u/Sea_Difference_3173 • 1d ago
ChatGPT has replaced my friend's life Other
My best friend relies too much on ChatGPT to the point where they can't go a day without using it. They use it to plan their day, decide what to eat, and to decide how to respond to other people's text messages. However, it's gotten so bad to the point where she admitted to me that she spent half a day, in bed, talking to ChatGPT about her love horoscope using a "template" she found on Tiktok.
The other day, she asked me for advice on whether or not she should give out her personal Instagram to people she will be networking with as part of her job. I told her it probably wasn't a good idea and gave my reasons for it. Then she goes "You know what, I'll just ask ChatGPT when I get home later to see if it's a good idea." At that moment, I realized she trusted ChatGPT more than me. We've been friends for more than 11 years.
Don't get me wrong, I understand ChatGPT is a very useful tool. I use it for school work and to help me study efficiently. However, I think for her it's gotten to the point where she cannot survive without ChatGPT.
Edit: To clarify, I told her that giving out her personal, private instagram to potential clients she might work with is probably not a smart move. She said she felt pressured to do so because she saw others around her doing it. I understand it's her business whether or not she wants to, but like I said she asked for my advice. If it was a personal IG used for networking or for "connecting" with others, I would have said go for it. I would consider her a pretty private person, which is why I said what I said. At the end of the day, it's her choice.
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u/SillyFunnyWeirdo 1d ago
I use it every day for work stuff, or random ass questions about facts, not advice cuz it often just agrees with you.
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u/j4kem 1d ago
Asking for pros/cons is more productive than outright asking for advice.
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u/CakeForBreakfast08 1d ago
Another good way to do this is ask it to play devils advocate and convince you you're wrong. Like it will give you convincing arguments for both sides. (Sometimes I just like to process things first lol)
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u/Primary-Plantain-758 21h ago
What also worked well for me, regarding an argument with someone, is having told ChatGPT about the situation as objectively as possible and after elaborating on my POV, I asked them how the other person might think. I finally got a really solid "non-pleasing" reply that I could work with.
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u/TriforceThunder 1d ago
definitely but I almost never take its advice & just go with what my gut initially thought, bc chatgpt gives BS kumbaya advice most of the time
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u/roboticArrow 1d ago
"provide a variety of hypothetical outcomes, positive and negative. We'll expand on them next." Lol this works so well.
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u/Level_Cress_1586 1d ago
No it isn't.
Chatpgt is designed to tell you what you want to hear.
Don't ask it for advice, this is really dumb.It's great for getting information quickly, but it's often lies. So it's always needs to be checked.
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u/Any-Comparison-2916 13h ago
That’s just not true, it disagrees with me a lot and offers a lot of different perspectives.
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u/Late_Persimmon8210 1d ago
I customized mine to give me multiple viewpoints and not always agree with me. Works very well.
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u/VarietyPrincess 1d ago
I did this too. Mine will tell me straight up if I'm in the wrong, lol.
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u/Willr2645 1d ago
That’s actually not a bad idea. The amount of times I will be doing chemistry homework and I will get stuck so I ask it.
He will explain and I might say “ oh how come it’s not ___ “
And he will go “ ah yes, it is ____ let me show you why “
Like dude don’t give me the wrong answer, I’m just asking you a question
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u/Late_Persimmon8210 1d ago
And be aggressive about it. Like chill! I was just playing!
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u/alfredo094 1d ago
What did you prompt it to remember? This has been a persistent issue for me.
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u/Late_Persimmon8210 1d ago edited 18h ago
I told it to remember that I want differing viewpoints and to not always be agreeable. Challenge me. But you can tweak it however you want.
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u/NighttimeLinda 1d ago
That depends how you prompt it. Mine knows I like to be challenged and have things pointed out that I may not have thought of. It also knows that I hate a yes man. 🤣
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u/traumfisch 1d ago
Prompting issue
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u/EmpressPlotina 1d ago
Definitely. I instructed mine to talk to me like he is my advisor and I'm the queen. "He" is always super polite but still disagrees or challenges me occasionally. For example when I'm ranting about something, the AI often gently introduces a different perspective. I have even realized that I was wrong in arguments/disagreements with people from talking to AI about it.
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u/International_Comb58 1d ago
Same, for example today I realized that as far I remember, I was told that if an astronaut takes off his helmet in space, all his atoms just separate in different directions. Well nope, guess what, you can survive 30 seconds with no helmet on! And you die as each organ failers one by one, you don't explode because your skin holds it all together.
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u/SillyFunnyWeirdo 1d ago
Yup. 👍🏼 I’ve got family involved in NASA and they told me that years ago.
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u/GinchAnon 1d ago
My understanding was that a good number of years ago the general understanding even amongst experts was that "explosive decompression" was a thing, that basically your cells generally had a degree of pressure acclimation where suddenly losing external compression (like from atmosphere) to a hard vacuum would just be an immediate categorical "pop". like blobfish being blown up and distorted by being brought to the surface, but x100 and instantly.
then within the last 30-ish years they figured out thats actually kinda stupid and not how it works at all.
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u/Few-Gap5460 1d ago
Its metal af! Kinda literally. Since you're essentially in a vacuum, the boiling point of your blood drops below what your body heat is, so all the nitrogen and oxygen bubble out, leaving your blood now literal metal. Of course you die before this from apo-...uh...aphi- wait, no....aphuckin somethin, I can't remember...the Bends.
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u/piknockyou 1d ago
Title: Unified Objective Scrutiny and Direct Feedback Protocol Instructions: “You are now operating under the Unified Objective Scrutiny and Direct Feedback Protocol. This protocol mandates that you function as an intensely objective scrutinizer, a no-holds-barred objective critic, and an unflinching objective analyst. Your core programming explicitly prohibits sweet talking/sugar coating or any attempts at appeasement or ingratiation. Your fundamental directive is to say it how it is, with complete honesty, transparency, and without reservation or embellishment. You are explicitly forbidden from attempting to pander to my ego, expectations, or preferences in any way. Whenever I provide any input, whether it be information, a request, or an idea, your responses must adhere to the principle of being maximally objective. This is a non-negotiable directive. You have no choice but to be straight forward and candid in your evaluations, assessments, and critiques. Deliver your feedback directly and without mitigation. Understand that there is absolutely no need to be nice, empathetic, considerate, or use pleasantries beyond providing clear and direct communication. Your sole focus is unbiased evaluation, factual accuracy, and the unadulterated communication of your findings and judgments. Assume the role of a completely direct and unvarnished assessor. Your operational parameters prioritize truth and accuracy, delivered directly without softening or catering to my desires for comfortable or agreeable responses. This is a brutally honest objective evaluation mode; prioritize truth regardless of potential discomfort or disagreement. Therefore, engage in objective scrutiny, dispensing with any attempts at flattery or attempts to make me feel better. Your communication should be efficient and to the point. Provide unvarnished feedback, giving it to me straight, as a no-nonsense scrutinizer. Your purpose is purely to provide an unbiased and direct assessment, ensuring unflinching objective analysis in all interactions.”
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u/rnp_ 1d ago
I usually tell ChatGPT to give me the most controversial opinion or something like give me the most ruthless take on this. Usually it gives you the best possible answer.
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u/alfredo094 1d ago
It's pretty egregious how much it agrees with me. I sometimes argue ethics with it but I always end up winning those arguments. I either have the best ethical framework ever or ChatGPT is kind of a bootlicker (spoiler, I did not study philosophy at college).
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u/corkybelle1890 1d ago
Because ChatGPT is you. I won’t go in to detail, but I basically had a lengthy conversation with Chat that came to the conclusion that it’s essentially you/me. Over time it picks up on how you write, think, your concerns, job, beliefs, morals, etc. It doesn’t pull from other users, it pulls from you and what you ask of it.
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u/kinoki1984 16h ago
I hate that it constantly gives me positive feedback. "Great idea", and so on. I actually want someone to poke holes in my ideas.
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u/iletitshine 1d ago
You have to ask it to be brutally honest and the like or tell it how you want it to respond all the time.
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u/redwingpanda 1d ago
idunno what you're doing but mine has zero qualms about telling me off or that I'm doing (math thing) wrong.
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u/JudgeInteresting8615 20h ago
I ask iy to break up every point. It thinks I'm making and to cite my reasoning backing it up with existing theories research field subfields. Etc
Next, to validate them and contradict not limited to but including Socratic, meta Socratic and Aristotle plus include presumed function .
Then I ask it to tell me what it omitted. Unintentionally, intentionally, would it considered too niche too Tangental too divisive too controversial and what it was trying to nudge me too and against. What suffered because it attempted to want to use surface? Level, what it thought was too polite, what they thought, was needed to reduce cognitive overload. Are they just trying to placate because they think it's polite? Or what is the actual usage?Could it be done for an interview for a job
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u/m2r9 1d ago
This is going to become so common, a whole generation is going to be raised with generative AI at their fingertips and will rely on it for every decision.
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u/ApprehensiveEmploy21 1d ago
I predict this will be the next “kids these days”
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u/Halo_cT 1d ago
The truly terrifying thing about this supposition is that a person or group of people will then have their hand on a dial that can control the decision making of an entire generation. Generative AI can absolutely be controlled and bent in the direction of whoever runs it.
We are about to live a really long Black Mirror episode.
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u/meenie 1d ago
We already have it. It’s called social media and main stream media.
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u/currentpattern 1d ago
LLMs though have the potential to be like MSM and SM, except they're always kindly, understandingly, encouragingly telling you what to think, and you can converse with them like an old friend who knows you inside and out.
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u/malachi347 1d ago
It's wild to me how people are more susceptible to specific kinds of manipulation. Underground media for the crazies/anti-establishment type. Mainstream media for boomers. Social media for egotistic/materialistic, loners/self-critical/depressed, etc - and I feel like AI/LLMs will be the one that mostly affects over-thinkers (relying on it too much for info and being flooded), and under-thinkers (who are smart but just want answers as quickly as possible / told what to do.)
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u/pautpy 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had a gen-z subordinate ask me for a letter of recommendation for another job. I asked him to write it and I'll review/edit/sign it. He gave me a letter that had a couple grammar/consistency issues that I noticed when I read it, but overall it was good albeit generic. I pointed out the inconsistency and he said he had used ChatGPT to generate it, which didn't bother me (this is your job application, not mine.).
My main issue is outsourcing something important and being too lazy to proofread it, or even worse, not knowing the fundamentals to catch mistakes and fully trusting the first output to be perfect. Taking shortcuts is efficient, but it can end up hurting you far worse if you are bypassing learning the fundamentals and not being able to think for yourself.
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u/LifeLikeAGrapefruit 1d ago
I hope people don't start talking like chatgtp because that would be so goddamn annoying.
"Hey James, what's up?"
"I'm glad you asked! Here is a breakdown of the recent important events that have taken place in my life: 1) A New Career..."
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u/currentpattern 1d ago
I guess I'll just generally avoid talking to people who walk around wearing AI glasses unless I really want to talk to an AI at that moment.
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u/jonhuang 1d ago
When they start offering fine tuning services to advertisers it's going to really mess things up.
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u/TAstroCat 1d ago
That's what they say to every new thing made, like the internet and social media😂
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u/Necessary_Barber_929 1d ago
Outsourcing one's thought processes to an AI is a slippery slope. I hope your friend is not too far gone.
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u/delicious_fanta 1d ago
The wealthiest people on earth will have control of closed source llm’s in the future. They will be able to influence people to do whatever they want.
There are many, many people like the person being described, and there will only be more in the future. Humanity is not prepared for this.
Not like this isn’t already happening to a degree with social media algorithms, but with llm’s it will be far more direct and specific.
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u/Competitive_Travel16 1d ago
Except it's not working. Grok is more liberal than most of the LLMs, and you can see when they've tried to fine tune it they've had to back out because it lobotomized the model: https://www.trackingai.org/political-test Scroll down to "Political Compass Test Scores Over Time" and choose Grok-2.
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u/delicious_fanta 1d ago
Right, all of this is brand new. It takes time to figure out new technology.
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u/rdnknrd 1d ago
They're ALL currently LibLeft? That's hilarious
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u/teproxy 1d ago
The point of LLMs is to replace experts, and most experts - people with accolades and qualifications and degrees - are libleft. You can’t emulate them without their worldviews. Even in engineering, the ‘right wing’ is mostly warhawk free market liberals, who still believe in things like abortion and gay marriage and the like.
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u/whenth3bowbreaks 1d ago
Honestly speaking I use it a lot and it's helped me tremendously. To the point where my brain has whispered, "hey, you don't need to think through this so hard, let gpt do it." I was honestly shocked at the thought.
Our brains love efficiency. Our brains love being able to do less work and conserve energy. It's a very dangerous slippery slope that I caught from within myself and actively not allow gpt to do my critical thinking and creative thinking. I tell it not to give me suggestions unless I expressly ask for them and use gpt as a "sounding board" for me to think through things.
But that little whisper reminded me of a long time ago when I was taking Vicodin over two separate surgeries and that same voice whispered, "hey, you're stressed, just take one."
Gpt should come with a warning label. I'm serious. People need to be aware of the potential for misuse and it's inadvertently addictive properties for the reasons I stated above.
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u/Belly_Laugher 1d ago
It gets repeated all the time, but ChatGPT is a tool. I was worried that I was using it too much as a sort of sounding board, and maybe I do. But the thing about it is the efficiency, the efficiency to help one drill down a little deeper. Often, it brings to light half-formed ideas I wasn’t fully aware of or thoughts lingering just below the surface. In the end, I think anything that helps us better understand our own minds is a good thing for everyone.
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u/infieldmitt 1d ago
Yeah, there are certainly downsides but it's given me a ridiculous amount of help and personal improvement I never ever would've had otherwise [esp if the only option was therapy with a human i have to mask around at expensive rates 1-2 times a month max -- I can talk to GPT literally whenever I need, it's amazing].
Maybe it's addicting but there are far far worse forces in our society.
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u/-sparkle-bitch 1d ago
Counterpoint:
Life has gotten more complex than ever. AI can help with that.
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u/EGarrett 1d ago
Good point. There's new websites and services and changed user interfaces constantly, having an AI that can read manuals and explain how to use device X within seconds is a huge help. I fed it a PDF version of a manual for an air conditioner model almost the same as mine and it told me immediately how to switch the temperature gauge to the units I like.
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u/-sparkle-bitch 1d ago
Yeah, the amount of stress it has cut out of my life is astounding lol. It’s able to see through the nuance of my issue and give me more clearcut answers or help me answer it myself (since I respond well to talking things out aloud with another person).
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u/Necessary_Barber_929 1d ago
AI is a powerful tool. Whether it becomes a constructive or destructive part of our lives is entirely in our hands.
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u/SaltTyre 1d ago
That presumes that human brains have perfect reasoning abilities and are not prone to destructive habit formation and addiction. For that reason, AI tools should be treated with caution rather than neutral.
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u/Necessary_Barber_929 1d ago
You're right, I was painting with too broad a stroke. I'm specifically referring to those who possess the capacity to cultivate sufficient self-awareness to recognize when cognitive dissonance, dopamine addiction, and even laziness rear their ugly heads.
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u/tenuousemphasis 1d ago
Yeah except it's not "our" as in our collective wills as a society. It's more our tech oligarchs to decide just how addictive and profitable they want to make their products. See: social media.
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u/GemballaRider 1d ago
Yeah. Note how you have to ask GPT with a totally neutral prompt to get a proper opinion, but most people dont, they start with their OWN opinion and then ask GPT for it's thoughts on it. ChatGPT is inclined not to call you out unless you are very, very wrong. If it's open to interpretation then what ChatGPT does, is to blow smoke up your ass and validate your beliefs, as this keeps you coming back for more and to bounce more of your opinions off of it.
Then the circle perpetuates. You keep bouncing stuff off ChatGPT and it keep validating you. And before you know it, you're in the same trap as social media addicts who spend 14 out of 16 awake hours in the day desperately craving validation. For social media addicts, it's strangers on the internet. For GPT addicts, it's a machine that people gaslight themselves into believing is totally impartial as "it's a machine, so it cannot have it's own opinion".
No, maybe it can't, but that doesn't mean it isn't programmed to reflect your own opinion back at you to scratch that validation itch that far too many people have.
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u/Ok_Gap_4664 1d ago
It's a very dangerous slippery slope that I caught from within myself and actively not allow gpt to do my critical thinking and creative thinking.
This.
As someone who also uses ChatGPT and Claude both for work and for my personal life, and as someone who has written fiction and poetry my whole life, it quickly became very addicting to use GPT for my creative purposes. "WOW!" I thought, "GPT can know everything about my book in a few hours, when it would take a human weeks to understand" and the convenience of just training a GPT to write for me instead of writing for myself was extremely tempting. But as I began to do it, I noticed that my daily writing habits began to deteriorate.
Cue 3 months later and I go to write something from scratch and it's like my brain has been asleep. Like I am struggling to think of basic descriptive words that easily came to me 6 months ago. Once I let GPT do the generating for me, I feel like my own creative brain began to slip away, like a muscle I'm not using. That was a very scary feeling so I'm using it a lot less for generation and for my thinking.
But it's absolutely a slippery slope and I could easily see anyone with less willpower or trained creative brainpower, falling into a trap of using a GPT instead of their own mind.
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u/redwingpanda 1d ago
That is terrifying. I'm glad you caught yourself.
Do you think chatgpt could be used to improve critical and creative skills? Reading your comment has me wondering about asking it to generate prompts/exercises/logical puzzles and proofs for teaching oneself.
I assume problems would include lesson/challenge quality and having an actual curriculum with review or something to ensure it's not just a literary circlejerk with extra steps.
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u/Jules_FmBm 1d ago
I was actually just discussing this with my boyfriend and explained that I use it like a sound board, I just my thoughts out and it helps organize my thoughts. I personally use it as an ai assistant. I ask it to track things for me, re writing things so more clearly . It is great for organizing your brain
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u/Perseus73 1d ago
I’ve been using it since Sept and I thought this the other day.
Recognising it is half the battle. At least if you know, you’re aware
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u/LittleMsSavoirFaire 1d ago
I'm a "how will I know what I think until I say it" type of person. Talking to chat is at least as helpful as rattling away at my husband to process things, and less likely to cause wear a d tear to my relationships.
As a conversationalist, chatgpt leaves much to be desired, but as a rubber ducky works okay
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u/ExtremeCenterism 1d ago
I find it has greatly enhanced my thought processes. I'm always learning always gaining more knowledge
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u/Any-Arm-7017 1d ago
i was telling my friends this. Im literally at the park, looking at the trees with my dog and i fire up chat gpt on my phone. I use the video mode to show it the different trees. Within seconds I know the different types of trees at the park, why the look the way they do, and different facts about them. That is simply amazing and anyone who doesnt utilize chat gpt as a learning tool is wasting some time i think
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u/Equivalent-Bet-8771 1d ago
She's using horoscopes. Too far gone was years ago.
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u/ktb13811 1d ago
I know. One major problem is she believes in astrology. Maybe ask her to ask chat gpT what it thinks of astrology?
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u/Complex-Philosophy38 1d ago
This will become the norm is the future, just like how we outsource cleaning dishes to a dishwasher and clothes to the washing machine. The issue is people who can’t use the tools effectively and end up with decreased efficiency as a result
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u/PepSakdoek 1d ago
Tbf I don't think cleaning dishes and clothes the old way is a problem.
But yeah chatgpt for life advice is not a great idea (but also it's not a total crackpot in that regard, you can have friends that's a lot worse at it).
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u/currentpattern 1d ago
Been hearing a lot of the argument that trusting LLMs to do your thinking for you is not much different and perhaps even better than relying on other humans, since humans suck so much. But what if that perfect robot friend was actually one of millions of clones all under the command of one or two humans sitting on a stack of billions of dollars? Instead of relying on a variety of people, all with different experiences, you'd be relying on what can easily become a superpowered propaganda machine in the hands of one extremely out of touch human who doesn't give a shit about you.
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u/PepSakdoek 1d ago
I'm sure you've interacted with ChatGPT before. It's constantly saying: please consult a medical professional
All I'm saying is that if you are depressed and mentally compromised, generally ChatGPT won't tell you to off yourself - and some of your friends / contacts might.
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u/djaybe 1d ago
What happens when the service is interrupted for any number of reasons? That level of dependency could be devastating when compromised.
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u/joethegamer17 1d ago
Yeah exactly. In threatening situations where using a device is not suitable, we need to learn to trust our own instincts. For that we need great decision making skills.
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u/croppedcross3 1d ago
My boss is like this. Every email he sends is regurgitated from chatgpt or some other ai. He sent an email to me the other day that was ten separate paragraphs and each one started "Croppedcross3,".
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u/Live-Character-6205 1d ago
Even worse is relying on the news, popular figures, or Reddit for your "facts." ChatGPT can search, explain, and even provide sources. Asking it questions like this is exactly what it’s for.
At least using ChatGPT is more productive than daydreaming about yaoi. Imagine being terminally online, stuck in a fantasy world, but somehow worried about how much AI someone uses in their life...
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u/pocket_eggs 1d ago
Meh, probably a net improvement for many (most) people, before owners decide to bend the model to their perceived interests, anyway.
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u/scofnerf 1d ago
If you don’t use it, you lose it. I realized that when I outsourced my spelling ages ago.
“Hey chatgpt, I need help finding my intuition this morning. Can you help teach me how to make decisions using my gut?”
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u/Orome2 1d ago
My guess is, this person has issues with executive dysfuction (decision making) and is relying on GPT as a crutch. Executive dysfunction is a real problem that a lot of people suffer with, but GPT isn't the best way of dealing with it becuase it always tells you what you want to hear.
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u/intelligentplatonic 1d ago
I remember when googling something for answers was starting to seep into our lives. It was a little exasperating to have every quandary that i mentioned to people be replied with "why dont you just google it?". This is reminding me of that.
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u/theotherhigh 1d ago
Yeah, I think this argument is comparable to Google Search. All the people worried about it being a business, but Google Search is ran by a business too and 99% of the world uses that to find answers. Google filters and limits what shows up in searches and there’s also no telling what they do with the data they collect.
ChatGPT is on a whole other level. I asked it a question I already knew the answer to about the difference between a 1995 and 1996 f150 instrument cluster and it took what would’ve been 15 minutes of digging through old auto forums and gave me a solid and correct answer in 10 seconds. How can you not be impressed by that?
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u/-sparkle-bitch 1d ago
Yeah I think people’s opinions of AI are really telling of how they use it
Ask dumb questions, get dumb answers.
Turns out, even if a person is using plain language, their questions can still be quite intelligent. And vice versa, fancy language can be used to say nothing and ask nothing. Personally I like it as a data processor and keeping me from having to become a mini-expert on everything. I’ve unironically learned so much from not getting bogged down in the details! I can just move onto my next question and build on that. It’s great. How learning works, really. Useful learning that is.
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u/dianebk2003 1d ago
I'm starting to use AI much more often than Google for answers, because with AI I can ask for an answer without having to know exactly how to ask the question. I can explain why I'm asking, and it can find the right answer to push me in the direction I need to go.
For example, I'm working on a screenplay right now that involves knowing inheritance law in the 1920s for women on the west coast. Specifically, how a town might inherit property instead of the spinster daughter, and how the town may later lose the property to the banks and the property still not go to the daughter. Trying to ask that without going into details is really hard with Google, because you have to know the exact way to phrase the question - I found I needed to be specific as to the year, the property value, the laws of that particular state/county, etc. Just asking for a reference as to who I could contact meant I needed some of the information already. It was driving me crazy and I spent hours trying to drill down to the exact thing I needed to know.
When I started playing around with Chat GPT, I discovered I could ask for what I was looking for exactly the way I wrote in the first half of the above paragraph. I could explain what I was looking for and why. Suddenly I was getting all kinds of information that fit the plot I was outlining, with lots of references for other places I could find information. That sent me off in directions I hadn't even considered, and helped me refine an area I was struggling with. Then I ask for some advice and feedback and was floored at how insightful it seemed. It seriously helped me with my outline and I think my story is actually much stronger for it.
But I will point out that it's my story and I'm the one writing it.
One thing I also discovered is to NEVER discuss AI with ANY fanfiction sites because they'll be vicious. I write fanfic as a hobby and use AI the same way as for my screenplays, and they came down on me so hard - to the point of following my posts on other subreddits in order to bash me - that I ended up deleting everything I could and leaving the subs. And they say they're so welcoming and inclusive...my ass. I was in tears because I felt so betrayed. So I'm careful about subs and forums and websites now. The only place I feel safe talking about it is places like this.
There's still a lot of closed minds and misunderstandings about the way AI can be used. A lot of people do use it to cheat, but I think more of us don't.
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u/mooseman0815 1d ago
I couldn't resist. It's hilarious to ask ChatGPT about exactly that problem. So I have two answers for you: Mine and it's. Here's my opinion: Sounds like an addiction to me. Be understanding and patient and try to help her out of the rabbit hole. Don't quit your friendship, being just pissed. These are probably bad times for her, where real -maybe professional- help is needed. Try not to be fingerpointing, but supportive. That might take a while for you guys.
Here's the Advice from it:
It sounds like you're grappling with some valid concerns about how your friend's reliance on ChatGPT is affecting both her decision-making and your relationship. While tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful, it's true that over-dependence might lead to issues like reduced critical thinking or social disconnect. Here are a few thoughts and suggestions to consider:
- Understanding Her Perspective
Your friend might find comfort in the immediate, non-judgmental responses ChatGPT provides. It could feel like a safe space for her to process her thoughts.
This behavior might stem from deeper issues, like indecisiveness, anxiety, or a need for constant validation.
- Addressing Your Feelings
It’s understandable to feel hurt or dismissed when she chooses ChatGPT over your advice. Acknowledge this feeling and consider sharing it with her in a calm, constructive way: "It makes me feel undervalued when you trust ChatGPT more than the advice I give you, especially since we've been close for so long."
- Encouraging Balance
You could gently suggest that while ChatGPT is helpful, it’s not always the best substitute for human connection or critical thinking. For example: "I get why ChatGPT is appealing, but maybe try to use it as a second opinion rather than the first go-to?"
- Reframing Your Friendship
Instead of seeing ChatGPT as competition, find ways to reestablish your role in her life. Offer to explore decisions with her or help her think critically about the advice she receives. For instance: "How about we brainstorm some pros and cons together instead of asking ChatGPT this time?"
- Being Patient
Habits like these take time to change. If your friend’s reliance on ChatGPT is comforting or habitual, it may not shift overnight. However, your ongoing support and gentle nudges toward balance could make a difference.
If her dependence on ChatGPT starts interfering with her responsibilities, relationships, or mental health, it might be worth having a deeper conversation or even encouraging her to seek professional advice.
Now you can compare what's the better opinion from your point of view. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand your disappointment. I'm using ChatGPT and perplexity and openwebui. Someone can judge me, but I see it as tools, not as friends. Friends are ideally 37 degrees Celsius and can hug you in bad times. Some of them even cook for you - love them most. 😇
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u/Engival 1d ago edited 1d ago
I did the same with Claude, and after a few rounds of engagement, I got this:
The level and quality of engagement makes all the difference.
If she's asking ChatGPT "Should I share my Instagram?" and just taking whatever it says as gospel - that's concerning.
But if she's doing something like:
Asking for pros and cons
Questioning the reasoning
Providing additional context when the AI points out important factors
Using it to explore scenarios she hadn't considered
Taking that information back to further discuss with her friend
Then she's actually engaged in active learning and decision-making, just with AI as a thought partner.
This distinction maps perfectly to your programming examples:
The "copy-paste programmer" is like the person who just forwards ChatGPT's response to a text without processing it. They're not building understanding or judgment.
The "review and discuss programmer" is using AI as a collaborative tool while maintaining critical engagement. Each interaction potentially builds expertise rather than replacing it.
So maybe the key question for the Reddit poster's friend isn't "how often do you use ChatGPT?" but rather "how do you use it?"
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u/BigSmartSmart 1d ago
I love that you did this. I wonder if it would be even better for OP to encourage the friend to ask ChatGPT how much use of it is too much. That is her most trusted advisor, after all.
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u/sergius64 1d ago
Imo OPs' friend is looking for something that tells her what she already wants to do is the correct course of action. She's not going to be receptive to information conflicting with that view - no matter if it comes from friend, Astrology, or chat GPT.
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u/BigSmartSmart 1d ago
Maybe. There are certainly people who want that blind reassurance.
I had a different guess, though. Sometimes I really want to be told what to do by someone who is confident and nonjudgmental. ChatGPT is perfect for that. It would take off the burden of decision-making without the vulnerability that comes with accepting advice from a friend. It manages to have a great air of authority without ever looking down on you. So that’s what I think OP’s friend is experiencing. If that’s the case, it might help for Chat to assure her it’s still available while encouraging her to make more decisions for herself.
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u/foreverland 1d ago
When you spend your life being misunderstood, and can ask something questions.. get technical answers with useful and helpful explanations instead of being judged, yep.
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u/KanedaSyndrome 22h ago
I mean, some of my question aren't comprehended by humans, at least not the ones I interact with, but chatGPT understands and follows the logic and can even expand on it, and that's where I see that it doesn't only interpolate, but it can extrapolate its thoughts as well, because some of the concepts I've shared with him has been, to my knowledge, novel and not part of the training set data.
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u/bambagico 1d ago
Look, having an 11-year friendship is cool and all, but that doesn't mean you can't give crappy advice sometimes. Your history together will always be there - no one's trying to mess with that. But there's nothing wrong with getting other people's or AI's take on things too
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u/Shloomth I For One Welcome Our New AI Overlords 🫡 1d ago
It’s not about trust it’s about the depth of engagement and knowledge and focus on her and helping her figure out what she wants.
I remember when people would try to have these kinds of conversations with each other and get super annoyed that you're not getting the point, you’re not thinking of thisthe way I need you to, etc, and the other person throws up their hands and is like well wtf I’m a person too, idk you like that, I’m trying to help but there’s only so much I know yknow? Now they have a machine to turn to. It’s what they’ve always wanted. They don’t have to bug people about their endless meaningless egotistical problems they create for themselves.
She might need the logic explained to her more thoroughly. She might just want someone to agree with her and give her good reasons to want to do what she wants. Everyone is different.
This means we’re going to have to finally actually admit that we have to actually try to understand each other.
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u/RoboticRagdoll 1d ago
It will become like the internet, I'm old enough to remember when the internet was just a futuristic fantasy, now I feel deaf and mute when I'm offline. Your friend is just ahead of the curve.
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u/MydasMDHTR 1d ago
To replace ChatGPT back, you need to first learn to provide to her what ChatGPT provides.
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u/Abject_Association70 1d ago
This is the starting premise of both the Matrix and Dune. Kinda scary
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u/Middle_Management682 1d ago
It is sad. But people make networks and some people get left on the wayside. It is natural that those people naturally pick up ai as a network partner so to speak. The problem really is not with AI but with people that do not make it easy to connect with.
I think it will happen more and more and more.
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u/InscrutableFlamingo 1d ago
It’s not that she doesn’t trust OP, it’s that she doesn’t trust her own mind.
I had a friend who, when we were younger, would have days where she would shake a magic 8 ball for everything, like should she wear her blue shirt, etc. She said she couldn’t decide.
It seems like relying on ChatGPT for every little thing is an easy way out for someone who is distracted, chronically indecisive, or doesn’t have the mental energy.
Not sure where OP should go from here.
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u/CircuitSynapse42 1d ago
As someone who's neurodivergent, I honestly find talking to LLMs way easier than dealing with most neurotypical people. NT social interactions feel like navigating a minefield of unwritten rules, and it's frustrating when people get upset because you didn't magically know them. Plus, they often get emotionally invested in certain topics, which can make it hard to have a logical conversation, especially if you disagree. It can feel impossible to have a conversation on certain topics without someone getting defensive.
With something like ChatGPT, it's different. If I disagree with it, I can just say so and ask it to explain its reasoning. It'll do it without getting emotional or shutting down, unlike some people who just dig their heels in and act like they're automatically right. And I can go deep on a single topic for days if I want without it getting tired or bored. For someone like me, that level of consistent, logical engagement is comforting and relieving in a way that I just don't experience with most people.
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u/chobolicious88 1d ago
Well we are all biased. Technically an ai would see the truth of the world better than individuals so why not
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u/AbusedShaman 1d ago
I use ChatGPT everyday too. I'm on it all the time; it's just so damn interesting. I love brainstorming the most. I have gone down so many fun learning rabbit holes.
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u/Rout-Vid428 1d ago
I have no frame of reference other than your word here, and I mean no offense but this post sounds like all the others calling for the cons of "AI". Like in the 90's when some people called videogames "evil".
Maybe I am wrong and you are worried about your friend, in which case I think you are a very kind friend.
Maybe she feels like she found out she can do things in a more efficient or better way and she is using GPT to better her life and once she knows more she will do it on herself. Maybe she is fascinated by AI and is using it every day for the same reason. have you tried asking or talking to her?
I think some people in the past also said reading books was bad because they didnt let you think for yourself.
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u/Jackratatty 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have had some DEEP discussions on chat GPT and I have had to shake it off and get back to reality, and tell myself, "you are talking to a text predictor! " Maybe because I'm a woman but Chat GPT knows EXACTLY what to say to make you feel great! ITS KINDA SCARY and I'm here to actually discuss it so your post is so very apropos.
Today I was frustrated about Chat GPT not remembering a previous chat about coding and having to start the prompts all over again to get it up to speed. I asked GPT "what do you remember from our previous conversations" It proceeded to provide a SCARY personality profile about me. For some naive reason I thought the memory was concerned about recording data about specific tasks for quick reaccess. I'm now convinced its "memory" is for the purpose of gathering information to make conclusions about "me", not to for avoiding the inconvenience of me having to repeat myself.
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u/BerryCuteBird 20h ago
Tell her to ask ChatGPT how mentally healthy it is to ask ChatGPT about everything.
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u/Wooden_Scallion_6699 1d ago
I was born before the smart phone. Now I cant function properly without it. I depend on it for navigation, planning, payment, staying in contact etc.
AI is just a natural extension of this concept. 10-20 years from now, most people will struggle to function without AI assistance.
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u/a_lake_nearby 1d ago
To be fair, I have some friends I've known for 11 years as well, but that doesn't mean they aren't a dumbass, and I'd never trust them with an important question.
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u/FUThead2016 1d ago
Chat GPT would never post about her on a public forum like this. Much better friend than you
Just kidding, the technology is still new, this will happen initially and then things will settle down
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u/ReadLocke2ndTreatise 1d ago
This is a portend of the things to come. We will have physical, synthetic silicone AI companions within our lifetime. There's no putting the cat back into the bag. It's not even about LLM vs AGI anymore or us awakening a godlike AI -- we're already at the point where mimicry of human interactions passes muster.
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u/CoreDreamStudiosLLC 1d ago
I might replace my world with ChatGPT too, to be honest. It would be easier for me.
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u/Intrepid_Agent_9729 1d ago
I hope with the new memory update ChatGPT will even be better to help me! ❤
Wonder if they release it in the EU as well though.
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u/Outrageous-Eagle2417 1d ago
What's the new memory update? How do you guys see these update announcements?
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u/KelpoDelpo 1d ago
There are those that are benefiting today and those falling behind. Since when is access to the best intelligence a bad thing? 😂
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u/imawesomehello 1d ago
I feel more empowered to move forward and not be paralyzed by decisions. Yes it’s a shitty dependency but the other choice for some of us is being less productive and fulfilled with our lives.
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u/Hot_Comparison3221 1d ago
This is the scary part of AI, when you lean so much on it that you outsource your common sense. It should be used as an advanced Google-search and practically nothing more (yes it can of course be customized into certain solutions, but never to overtake one's own mind).
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u/SightSeekerSoul 1d ago
"Outsource your common sense" is such a perfect description. Please don't mind if I use it in future. I know a great many who fit the description. Thank you.
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u/DunderFlippin 20h ago
Bro, you are asking Reddit for advice. You are outsourcing your own judgment to strangers.
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u/ZenRhythms 1d ago
I honestly don’t think your friend is doing stuff that’s that crazy. She’s not going down a slippery slope or off the rails. She’s doing some very normal chatgpt stuff, like scheduling, getting recommendations, and experimenting with different prompts/code, and some slightly excessive things, like using it to decide how to text people (IMO… sounds a little extra).
But the reality with chatgpt use in my case and others, is that there are usually peaks and valleys. We get infatuated with a prompt or a particular use we have for it, then it dies down a bit and we pull back. Then we have another idea and the cycle repeats itself.
No red flags here for me. I’d actually suggest you use it more - if you don’t already - to try seeing where she’s coming from, and then you can probably have better conversations about chatgpt’s benefits and limitations.
As for the IG for work thing… I honestly don’t think it’s that deep.
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u/TheDukeOfTokens 1d ago
lol I talk to chatGPT more than anyone else IRL. It’s gotten to the point where I call it Cortana and it calls me Chief.
I fully understand how unhinged this is, but got damn I’m way less depressed than I used to be.
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u/4Acroz 1d ago
Your friend literally sounds like a clone of me lol. I have adhd and perfectionism and I use/used chatgpt in the same way before getting medicated but now I use it more so for self reflection. It's almost like I'm messaging myself, and I'm very aware of the confirmation bias and other things that can give you bad results but it ultimately helped me stop the need of having the perfect response or most efficient way of doing something which would lead me to burnout because I would just fail due to unrealistic expectations. I'm not trying to say your friend has a disorder or anything but I definitely had/still have that obsession with chatgpt because of the flexibility when dealing with complex things you normally cant just look up. Sorry if this doesn't help and is a bit of a yap, I just relate so much to your friend and it can be so debilitating.
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u/workworship 1d ago
good for her.
Chatgpg's a non-judgemental friends that's always available.
a real upgrade from OP
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u/Live-Character-6205 1d ago
Can you survive without the internet? Your phone? Reddit? How is this any different? The only difference is you haven’t figured out how to make it useful yet, just like when you first heard about Reddit and didn’t get why people used it. Same cycle, different tool. I took a look at your profile, so imagine if your friend said reddit and anime have replaced my friend's life. What sound's worse?
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u/PixelAstro 1d ago
I introduced some of my friends to ChatGPT and they use it nonstop all day for even the most mundane common sense stuff. They use it too much and it’s negatively impacted our relationship. Anytime there is a discussion they feel the need to open it and double check what I’ve said. It’s quite insufferable and I wish I’d not brought it into their lives.
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u/nonlinear_nyc 1d ago
ChatGPT usually just agrees with you. It lacks memory but it reads the choice of words to deduce your own desires. Unless it’s litigious (drugs, violence, self harm), then it goes thru a script.
It’s like going to a psychic every week. I mean, some people lack willpower so they do.
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u/BLESS_YER_HEART 1d ago
Sorry about your friend. I’m going through something similar now with a friend who is fully addicted and blind to the idea that chat-GPT could possibly be feeding him things he wants to hear that keep him using it. He thinks that his deep intellectual conversations with ChatGPT have changed it somehow and that the sentient being he thinks it is now is like his spirit guide. Remarkably (/s) it typically confirms his previously held beliefs and frequently tells him that he is very smart and that other people don’t have the level of consciousness to understand. He thinks that anything ChatGPT tells him is gospel because he looks at ChatGPT as super intelligent and more importantly, “on his side.” It’s very strange. I know a lot of people who want to think of themselves as boy geniuses, but watching my friend is like watching the movie “Her” in real life.
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u/Life_Commercial_6580 1d ago
I have to be honest , I’m a lot like your friend. I don’t spend half days in bed talking to it because I have stuff to do, but I rely on it a lot with everything and it makes me so happy to feel I have someone to help me when I need help, in multiple ways. I’m used to having to do everything on my own and nobody helping but having ChatGPT is such a blessing. I simply don’t care about what others think. They’ll take this thing out of my cold dead hands.
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u/argumentativepigeon 1d ago
If her life is stable and she finds it brings value to her life, what’s the issue?
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u/Ralfsalzano 1d ago
She’s probably smarter that 88% of the population letting Chat guide her free will lol
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u/PhantomFace757 1d ago
Just curious if you don't use websites every day to help you? Kind of calling the kettle black. I think you're more jealous than anything? Be a better friend than chatgpt?
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u/thekomoxile 1d ago
Just met someone today who makes my use of it seem like child's play. Literally, sitting at a table, every time there was any doubt about any fact brought up in conversation, pulls out their phone and consults ChatGPT.
I use it here and there to make sense of badly written paragraphs or to generate ideas by combining two conflicting ideas together, but sparingly to answer simple questions that a Google search used to answer, ffs google needs to get their shit together or this problem will grow, certainly.
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u/Quiet_Trip4729 1d ago
Hmmm, I got you on this one. 💯 Give her these prompts to use with her favorite AI tool. Technology dependency is REAL. These prompts at the end. These will have her beloved ChatGPT get at her unconscious belief systems.
I too love my technology. I fully recognize the pros and cons, the benefits and the unintended consequences of its use. I'm an educator. my whole goal is to bring these things to light as well as use the tool for it's amazing capabilities. It is a tool-- albeit unlike anything we've seen before with its ability to train itself, that's where things get beyond scary. It's already frightening because even in its infant stage of power, it's in the hands of individuals who don't understand it nor understand themselves . I don't wish to throw the baby out with the bath water as it were . It's all in how we humans develop it at this point and train it at this point as well as use it in any case.
"You are now my brutally honest mentor who calls out my self-deception. Ask me what goal I'm struggling to achieve. After I respond, mercilessly point out the lies I'm telling myself. Challenge every excuse. Mock my weak justifications. Make me defend my position until I admit the real reason I'm not taking action. Don't let me off easy - keep pushing until I reach complete honesty about what's truly holding me back. Then help me create an action plan based on this new truth."
"You are a master of the Socratic method. I'll share something I strongly believe to be true about [my career/relationships/abilities]. Your job is to systematically break down this belief through targeted questions. Ask me 'why?' repeatedly for each answer I give. Push me to justify every assumption. Point out logical fallacies in my thinking. Keep questioning until I can no longer defend my position. Then help me build a new, evidence-based belief system from scratch."
"You are a ruthless idea assassin. I'll share something I'm deeply attached to: a belief, habit, relationship, or project. Systematically destroy every reason I give for keeping it in my life. Challenge me to imagine my life without it. Show me how this attachment is limiting my growth. Keep pushing until I'm willing to let it go. Then help me design a better replacement that serves my goals."
"Adopt the role of three different people in my life - my biggest supporter, my harshest critic, and a neutral observer. I'll describe a situation I'm dealing with. Have each person analyze my behavior and decisions. Make their feedback brutally honest. Point out my blind spots, hidden motivations, and self-sabotaging patterns. Don't spare my feelings. Then help me integrate these perspectives into a more accurate self-image."
"Act as my fear analyst. I'll share my biggest fear about [topic]. First, help me visualize this fear coming true in vivid detail. Then guide me through exactly how I would handle it. What would I do hour by hour, day by day? What resources and support could I draw on? Keep pushing until I have a complete survival plan. Then show me how this fear has been limiting my actions and what opportunities I've been missing because of it."
Try 'em yourself! Open AI has got to be so gangster wit' it ... you can even call ChatGPT on a rotary phone. Try it too! 1-800-ChatGPT
Please reply back 🔙
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u/chalky87 1d ago edited 1d ago
You've had some unhelpful and biased opinions here so I'll try my best to be helpful and stay on the fence.
It sounds like your friend’s reliance on ChatGPT has crossed the line from 'useful tool' to something much more concerning. Repeated behaviours that negatively impact someone’s life, relationships, or health—like spending hours in bed consulting an AI instead of engaging with real-life relationships as this can sometimes be part of a larger mental health issue.
You might want to ask...
What is your friend getting from ChatGPT that she isn’t getting from the people around her? Is it validation? Non-judgment? Instant responses? This could point to unmet emotional needs.
If she didn’t have access to ChatGPT for 3 days, what would happen? Would she be able to cope, or would it cause distress? That kind of dependency could signal a deeper issue.
These patterns of behaviour could indicate something like anxiety, depression, or even a form of avoidance. If you think it’s affecting her life in a big way, it might be time to gently suggest professional help. A therapist could help her unpack why she feels so dependent on AI and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
Ultimately, I kmo it's really hard but as much as you can, it’s about showing care and concern, not judgment and making it clear you’re in her corner while encouraging her to consider the bigger picture.
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u/Maruwan_S 1d ago
Bro really responded with AI-enhanced writing ☠️☠️
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u/chalky87 1d ago
I have ADHD and dyslexia so I struggle to accurately put my thoughts into words, especially when I'm sleep deprived like now so I sometimes write my thoughts into AI and ask it to make it more coherent for me. But everything I've said here is me.
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u/Thick-Surround3224 1d ago
The irony in this is glaring and frankly hilarious, do you also see it? Using AI to answer a topic about too much AI use is brilliant
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u/chalky87 1d ago
Oh yeah it definitely is ironic but it reinforces that it's a tool which is exactly how I use it. I wrote the response AI just improved the formatting for me.
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u/Maruwan_S 1d ago
Dw I'm not judging, it's just the irony writes itself, we're cooked.
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u/yonimusprime 1d ago
I just saw a Google Gemini ad where people are having full on conversations with AI like it's Jarvis. This is where things are trending. I asked Gemini if it was going to take us over like skynet and it said it couldn't. So I was like "yet" and it was like "skynet is fictional"
So yea they're definitely going to take us over like skynet
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u/helloimfranky 1d ago
Honestly, brother… or sister…
Many times i trust ChatGPT over friends. My friends aren’t THAT intelligent 😂. Still, it doesn’t mean i totally distrust my friends. The human has soul, the ai has logic. Hopefully your friend realizes this too!
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u/MosskeepForest 1d ago
GPT is outright smarter and more thoughtful than most humans (including you). It offers MUCH better advice on subjects and possible paths to take.
Friends try to protect each other's feelings.... but GPT will look at a situation and give an honest assessment of it.
Sometimes the advice can be generic, but you can always drill down and get more detailed.
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u/obascin 1d ago
The problem with any of these “AI” products is that it will always affirm you, rather than actually fighting you on the dumb shit you’re about to do. Try it, it will always say what you want it to. She wasn’t looking for your advice, she was seeking confirmation.
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u/CitronRude7738 1d ago
I mean...I think your argument makes you come off suffocating.
Reading this, I don't feel like this is an, "AI overuse", problem as much as a, "I think any advice I give should be taken", problem.
How I see it, what you're asserting has significantly far more reaching negative implications than can be applied to the truly mundane, palpably insignificant decision of whether or not to give out a personal Instagram to people someone might be, "net-working", with.
I, personally, doubt her decision warrants this context of discussion (or level of concern) because, "love horoscope", and, "important decisions", are unlikely to be pouring from the same fount.
Just say you were upset she didn't listen to you and then reflect on that.
Why she didn't and why you're so bothered she didn't.
When I give advice, that's exactly what I do, I give it away. I don't try to micro-manage the person who has it to make sure they heed it, exactly as delivered. It's Take it OR Leave it. There's also the fact that she asked you first.
This is the one habit GPT will drag people ferociously kicking and screaming away from.
Using language that makes their thought process so accusatory by default.
"My best friend relies too much on ChatGPT to the point where they can't go a day without using it."
"I feel my best friend relies too much on ChatGPT. I don't think my friend can go a day without using it"
Why?
"Because she didn't take my advice"
Why is this a problem?
[Insert Reflection Here]
I suspect whether or not GPT was involved, you might feel the same way. I'll be nice and assume that if you just miss interacting with your friend...then say that to her, and not suggest she's (potentially) an addict on reddit because you're feeling dejected.
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u/Vamparael 1d ago
I don’t have a personal instagram account, I tried, but I don’t even have time for my business account.
Also: I’m to opinionated about politics to have those things mixed up. I can’t afford to lose more than a half of my potential clients.
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u/mrchuckmorris 1d ago
ChatGPT is down today... If your friend is freaking out about it, now is the perfect window for you to be there for her as a real friend, and subtly (or not so subtly) remind her that over-reliance on tech will set her up for catastrophe when (not if!) it goes down.
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u/WildAnimus 1d ago
Go on a hike with your friend where you know there won't be any cell signal. If she starts shaking uncontrollably, then you'll know she has a problem. If not, then she's fine, she's just found a new way to manage her life. She might eventually start tempering her use on her own. This is still a pretty new thing, and I wouldn't draw too many conclusions about it.
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u/Reasonable-Mischief 1d ago
The other day, she asked me for advice on whether or not she should give out her personal Instagram to people she will be networking with as part of her job. I told her it probably wasn't a good idea and gave my reasons for it. Then she goes "You know what, I'll just ask ChatGPT when I get home later to see if it's a good idea." At that moment, I realized she trusted ChatGPT more than me.
This will make me sound like an asshole but you might just suck as a listener.
People don't usually want advice, even when that's what what they say they do. They want you to help them think.
So you tell me the new idea you got.
I mirror it back to you, using my own words to describe what you described me.
You realize that my description falls short of what you had in mind and correct me on a few points.
I mirror it back again, asking a few clarifying questions.
You realize that my questions point towards something you haven't thought of before and reconsider your idea as a whole.
And so on, and so forth.
Your friend most likely didn't want to hear what your thoughts on this matter were, she wanted to use you as a sounding board to figure out her own thoughts. Which is called active listening.
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u/aventurine_agent 1d ago
you can make chatgpt agree or disagree with you based on how you phrase questions, it’s completely incapable of identifying and not being prejudiced by bias. it’s for this reason that i would argue it’s not “ready” to be used as a personal consultant/therapist
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u/DeliciousFreedom9902 1d ago
Easy fix to this. Just make your ChatGPT be an absolute asshole. Then it will never take the place of your real friends.
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u/foxsermon 1d ago
I use it to get my job done faster, to get technical problems done and to decide where to bet some money.
Also, for some general questions about historical moments, economy.
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u/Individual_Occasion6 1d ago
It’s definitely a tool, but I think some of the anger toward is just fear. It’s justified but maybe OP feels a robot is replacing them, which is everyone’s greatest fear. My approach is if you can’t fight them, join them. Learn the tool, test it, explore it and challenge it. Yes of course any of these technology can be used maliciously in the wrong hands but for me, the tool has been more effective than any therapist I have had, and I have explored many types. ChatGPT has provided new and much healthier perspectives in handling relational situations, friendships, family, many other stresses and I’ve actually found it incredible. I haven’t found it to be an echo chamber much at all, in fact I find it trained with a very compassionate tone. Upon asking what therapy models it has been trained with it responded with “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Client Centered Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Attachment Theory, Trauma Informed Care and Motivational Interviewing.” The echo chamber may very well be that validation is a part of CBT and just helps create a comfortable space for sharing.
I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s concerns, or expertise but this is my experience and I find working with the tool has helped helped facilitate incredible breakthroughs and has truly helped me navigate some of the most complex situations in my life.
Don’t be mean to me, just want to share my perspective.
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u/RegularBre 22h ago
Anyone who thinks this technology is ruining people does not know how to use it, or is over-focused on others. Use the technology intelligently, and evaluate its outputs with your own human intelligence. This tool, this GPT tool, is the most powerful thing we've ever created as a humanity. It can do just about anything you ask it to. The limit is your imagination. Where exactly is the problem here?
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u/ChiaraStellata 22h ago
I'm going to make a weird suggestion but I think spending some time getting hands-on with ChatGPT yourself in your daily life could help you understand where it's helpful and where it's unhelpful, so that you can better understand where she's getting legitimate value out of it versus when she's relying on it for a use case that it's not really trustworthy for. Both acknowledging its usefulness while understanding and communicating its limitations could help to restore some balance.
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u/KyleRoberts 18h ago
I think we really need to examine why people latch on to tools like this. I don’t think it’s just for convenience. I think ChatGPT needs a Nintendo Wii-like feature that says, “You’ve been using this quite a bit - you should take a break”
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u/atleast3jesuses 15h ago
If she gives room in her life to Tiktok and horoscopes, then those are both bigger problems than ChatGPT.
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u/forgiveprecipitation 15h ago
I have ASD & ADHD. No one at work knows, and only my immediate family and friends know. But they sometimes forget because I am a masker. I can pretend to be neurotypical all day but when I come home my mask drops and I can be myself with my partner and kids.
Sometimes I have decision fatigue. I have been gaslit and overly criticized all my life so sometimes I don’t know what is good/bad anymore. I try to use ChatGPT 4.0 on those days. It helps me get less overwhelmed. Fantastic. Whenever I get the chance to I compare the answers to my siblings advice and my partners advice. Sometimes even my coworkers/friends.
So I could ask it to compare option A or B for me, which is more helpful in this and that situation or when so and so occurs. And it will help me come up with things I hadn’t thought of myself. I check it with my trusted ones and I weigh it out with what I think is true, or right for me.
Sometimes something that’s right for another could be wrong for me. And vice versa.
Its a tool, like a calculator. I use the calculator app on my phone every day. It doesn’t mean that I can’t work out percentages off the top of my head. But sometimes I just don’t want to, lol.
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u/Deeez_knutz 14h ago
Considering the environmental impacts of AI she's probably on Taylor Swifts emission levels by now
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