ChatGPT and Me

There is a phrase in Japanese called 'wazurawashii' for which I cannot think of a suitable English equivalent. Let me try to explain its meaning through an example: over time, the kitchen stove and surrounding area can become greasy and dirty due to use. To clean it thoroughly, one typically makes a mixture of baking soda and citric acid, sprays it on the stove, walls, and kitchen hood, covers everything with plastic wrap, waits a few hours, and then wipes it all off with a cloth. However, it's impossible to completely remove all the dirt in one go, so the process of washing and wiping must be repeated several times. Nowadays, however, wet paper towels specifically designed for kitchen cleaning can be used instead, which saves a lot of effort. Once you become accustomed to this cleaning method, you wouldn't want to go back to the previous, time-consuming way. If I had to do it the old way again, I would definitely describe it as 'wazurawashii.' That's what this Japanese phrase means.

I have been utilizing ChatGPT for various tasks lately and have discovered numerous tips and tricks to complete them more efficiently. Some of them are so useful that I wouldn't want to share them with others. At the same time, I cannot help but feel that this AI has become like a critical judgment algorithm that assesses the value of tasks. It lowers the social value of tasks that can be performed by anyone while highlighting those that require a human touch or can only be done by humans. Although there are already excellent free translation AIs available, ChatGPT not only provides native speaker-level proofreading but also checks how much of the translator's native language is still present in the translated text and offers advice on eliminating it if requested. Previously, I had never been dissatisfied with relying on a human for native speaker-level proofreading. However, as I continue to use this AI, I am starting to feel that this task is becoming obsolete. In short, it is 'wazurawashii.' Using ChatGPT reminds me of a high school classmate who befriended one of the popular kids and gradually drifted away from me. Now, I find myself in the same position as that classmate who left me. Though I am not pushing anyone away in real life, my heart aches.