There is no easy button
AI can’t “fix” bad writing. And it can’t fix bad hiring either.
ChatGPT put AI on the mainstream map. While AI isn’t limited to writing, that use case gives us a glimpse into what it can do. And where it falls flat on its face.
The problem is, too many people can’t recognize where and why it sucks. (Probably fueled by AI faux guru hucksters trying to make a buck. Just wait, one of them will probably respond when I post this on LinkedIn.)
The quick test: anyone who says “ChatGPT is great at writing!” is a garbage writer and shouldn’t be listened to. Fact not opinion.
But it goes deeper than that. And I have to give credit to someone I consider a great writer: Jack Raines.
I’ll get you up to speed on Jack (from my point of view as a reader who doesn’t know him and doesn’t read bios): he’s witty, insightful, brings a fresh perspective, fun to read, writes bangers and trolls idiots on LinkedIn. Naturally, I’m a fan.
He wrote this take on why AI writing is trash. “The Purpose of Things Isn’t to Stop Doing Things.” Here.
If you’re too lazy to read, a few highlights (i.e. stuff he put in bold because that always means it’s important.)
“Writing is a metamorphosis that turns vague abstractions into novel ideas, but you have to go through the writing process to connect the various points along the way.”
“An over-dependence on artificial intelligence is often just lethargy disguised as efficiency, and the “outsource everything to AI” crowd ignores the fact that the work is often more valuable than the output.”
My summary: writing literally makes you smarter because it forces you to think through sh*t. All ideas are half-baked until we flesh them out. Writing does that.
Conversely, outsourcing your writing keeps you dumb.
So let’s tie this back to recruiting. One of the many Hills I’ll Die On™️: the main problem is not “finding candidates.” That’s extremely easy these days, without AI. The real challenge is the more complex process of hiring.
Getting a cross functional group of people (recruiters, hiring managers, peer interviewers, exec, etc.) working together as a cohesive team, making sound and timely decisions while selling their company value to candidates. There’s a lot of moving parts, differing opinions, changing priorities, and alternative perspectives. It’s a difficult problem to solve, that’s why everyone has a nightmare job seeking story.
These are human problems that only humans can fix. And if we don’t force ourselves to learn how, we’ll all stay dumb.
Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.
