AI has many touted benefits but it also has the potential to threaten your existence as a consultant. Here, I continue with an exploration of AI as illustrated by ChatGPT.
According to ChatGPT, it is an “AI language model developed by OpenAI, designed to respond to user inputs in natural language and provide informative and helpful responses.”
It can research topics and write reports and stories, and much more.
First, I asked ChatGPT to write an article about how consultants can use it. Then I asked whether it might be a threat to consultants’ livelihood.
Write an article about how consultants can use ChatGPT
Here is what ChatGPT wrote:
“As a consultant, staying ahead of the curve is crucial in order to deliver the best results for your clients. One cutting-edge tool that consultants can use is ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI.
ChatGPT is a conversational AI that can understand and respond to natural language inputs. This makes it incredibly versatile and able to perform a wide range of tasks. ChatGPT can answer questions, generat text, and even completing tasks like summarizing long documents.
One of the primary ways that consultants can use ChatGPT is as a research assistant. ChatGPT can be used to quickly gather information on a specific topic, saving consultants valuable time and effort that would otherwise be spent scouring the internet. Additionally, ChatGPT can also be used to generate reports and summaries of findings, freeing up consultants to focus on other tasks.
Another area where ChatGPT can be useful for consultants is in customer service and support. By leveraging the AI’s ability to understand and respond to natural language, consultants can automate a portion of the customer support process, freeing up time and resources that can be better spent on other areas of the business. ChatGPT can also be used to quickly generate responses to frequently asked questions, further streamlining the customer support process.
Another potential use case for ChatGPT is in project management. The AI can be used to generate project reports, status updates, and even to manage task lists and deadlines. This can help to increase efficiency and reduce the chances of mistakes, freeing up time and resources that can be better spent on other areas of the project.
In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that consultants can use to increase efficiency, automate processes, and stay ahead of the curve. From research and customer support to project management and beyond, ChatGPT offers a wide range of capabilities that can be leveraged to deliver the best results for clients. Whether you are a seasoned consultant or just starting out, incorporating ChatGPT into your workflow is a smart move that can help to improve your performance and drive success for your clients.”
Is ChatGPT a threat to consultants’ livelihood?
ChatGPT wrote:
“As with any new technology, there may be some concerns about the impact that ChatGPT may have on the job market and the livelihoods of consultants. However, it’s important to keep in mind that ChatGPT is not designed to replace consultants, but rather to enhance and augment their capabilities.
While ChatGPT may automate certain tasks and processes, it still requires human oversight and interpretation to ensure that the results it generates are accurate and relevant. In many cases, ChatGPT can actually help consultants to be more productive and efficient, freeing up time and resources that can be better spent on higher-value tasks.
Moreover, ChatGPT is not capable of replicating the creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that are unique to human consultants. As a result, the role of consultants will continue to be an important one, even as ChatGPT becomes more widely used.
In conclusion, while ChatGPT may change the way that consultants work, it is not a threat to their livelihood. Rather, it offers a powerful tool that can help consultants to deliver better results for their clients and stay ahead of the curve. By embracing the technology and finding ways to integrate it into their workflow, consultants can continue to thrive in an ever-evolving job market.”
My take on the benefits versus the threats of AI for consultants
Benefits of AI
Clearly, consultants can leverage the newer versions of AI, like ChatGPT to increase efficiency and save time. Producing reports, documents, and spreadsheets can be time consuming and so can developing lists of frequently asked questions and responses to them. Since AI is advancing rapidly, ChatCPT is correct that it is important to stay ahead of the curve.
Many of us use AI-based personal assistants, such as Siri, Cortana, and others. These assistants can schedule, send text notifications, and interact with other devices to do tasks for you. The new generation of language processing AI is able to carry out increasingly complex tasks. This will change the way AI is used.
Right now, your expertise is still very important to ensure that what is produced by AI makes sense and is accurate. I asked ChatGPT to research a question in an area of my expertise. I knew the answer and also knew that the answer was on the cutting edge, not well known, and not what you would typically find on an internet search. Though, if you were aware of the cutting edge research, you would find it easily. Despite rephrasing the question, and asking leading questions, I did not get the known state of the art answer.
The thing is AI is advancing rapidly. Knowledge that is already known to experts, but not AI, will doubtless be accessible in the future to the likes of ChatGPT. So, it is in your best interests to explore the uses of AI in your area. It is also clear that as a consultant and an expert, your ability to oversee and interpret what AI produces will be crucial to keep your role as a consultant. Likely, you will need to continuously refine your knowledge and skills to stay ahead of the curve.
Threat of AI to your livelihood as a consultant
AI can threaten your livelihood and this is mentioned in the ChatGPT response. How likely is this? It depends.
The greater your level of expertise the more protected you would be.
If you write routine reports, your work may decrease if a client decides to use AI, and either review and modify the reports or do it themselves. If you track projects, you might be asked to set up the tracking using an AI system. Afterwards the actual work you previously did in doing the actual tracking may be mostly done by AI. This would decrease your volume of work.
I think that ChatGPT’s answer on the threats is biased.
It downplays the risks for consultants.
If your consulting is not at a high level of complexity and involves setting up and carrying out routine work, much of it may be replaced by AI.
It is possible that you might do better if you can use AI to perform more tasks for your clients at lower cost. Your pricing might remain the same, but you could offer a greater level of service.
The threat of AI to your job is real
AI is poised to replace many jobs. National Public Radio (NPR) has information on their website about jobs that are at risk in an article with the title, “Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?” In that article, two drop down menus allow you to look at the probability that jobs in different sectors may be replaced by AI. For example, when looking at their heading of Business and Financial Services, the chance of the following jobs being automated was:
| Job | % Chance of automation |
| Tax Preparers | 98.7 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 93.5 |
| Market Research Analysts | 61.3 |
| Credit Counselors | 4.0 |
The chances of tax preparers seemed quite high, but for accountants and to a lesser extent auditors it was a bit of a shock to see such a high chance (93.5%) of automation of their jobs. Market research analysts fared better. At the other end of the spectrum, Credit Counselors were hardly affected. So, why do we see such differences?
NPR shows information that helps to explain these differences. If your work involves any of the following, it may be protected from automation, including by AI:
- coming up with clever solutions
- personally helping others
- negotiating
- working in small spaces
While tax preparation at an advanced level may involve some clever solutions, you may be able to do it remotely without personally helping others, the actual tax preparation in the vast majority of cases does not involve negotiation.
Generally, tax preparation follows well defined rules, as do accounting and auditing. Knowing a vast number of rules, following rules on tax forms and as part of accounting and auditing procedures may well lend itself to automation by AI.
Now considering Credit Counselors, the mix of reasons why someone is having credit problems and their personal approach to money and life in general may require clever solutions. A one size fits all approach is unlikely to be found. So, the Counselors likely would need to help people individually to figure out what might work for them. They may have to negotiate back and forth on what may be painful decisions for a person who is in debt.
Working in small spaces, which may require considerable agility, might help avoid automation by robots or machines with AI capabilities.
My own area as a physician involved in clinical trials, an area of medical research, seems to be relatively protected now, but AI is advancing rapidly. For doctors, physicians, nurses, clinical operations managers, and clinical research associates, the outlook looks good for now. However, AI is advancing at an incredibly rapid pace. At a minimum, all workers should strive to leverage AI in their work. It is better to ride the wave than to be knocked over by it.
Conclusion
AI continues to advance and is taking on tasks of increasing complexity. Previously, only humans could do some of these tasks.
With these new AI capabilities, the higher the level of your expertise in non-routine areas the better. The more your work involves new strategies, critical thinking, leading-edge knowledge in your field, clever solutions to problems, personal help to your clients, and negotiating, the more protected you would be from being replaced by AI.
The best course is to learn to apply AI and use it to leverage your efforts, no matter how expert you are or how complex is your work.
See other articles on my experience with ChatGPT and artificial intelligence:
Artificial intelligence will change your life! A conversation with ChatGPT
Chatting with ChatGPT: A Journey to Becoming an Independent Consultant
