How ChatGPT can make you a better writer

1. 0:00 – 0:10

   Using ChatGPT to overcome the hardest part of writing: getting started

   1. UCUnknown (former New York Times and Wall Street Journal columnist)0:00

      Before ChatGPT, the hardest part about writing an article was figuring out where to start. Now, I can just ask it, "What is the most compelling argument, the main things that I should highlight?"

2. 0:10 – 0:15

   Brainstorming story ideas with AI instead of Google search

   1. CVClaire Vo0:10

      How do you walk through the process of brainstorming an idea instead of using Google?

3. 0:15 – 0:31

   Rapid context-building: key players, background, and reading links

   1. UCUnknown (former New York Times and Wall Street Journal columnist)0:15

      Right off the bat, it tells me, you know, about the main people in the administration who are talking about this. It gives me links to articles that I can read. This is the stuff that, when I was writing a column every week, it would take me probably half a day or so to just find all the stuff and kind of figure out what I was gonna write about.

4. 0:31 – 0:36

   AI as a newsroom-like sounding board (with important caveats)

   1. CVClaire Vo0:31

      I'm presuming, in the past, you would've done this with colleagues in a newsroom, and you could have these conversation live.

5. 0:36 – 0:50

   80% of a great editor—instant, always available support

   1. UCUnknown (former New York Times and Wall Street Journal columnist)0:36

      You know you're not talking to a colleague. You know you're not talking to a human, but in many ways, it sort of has that same function because the interface is similar. Probably it's not as smart as that person, but it's maybe 80%, and it's great, and instant, and available all the time.

6. 0:50 – 1:01

   Addressing fears of generic AI writing: making work more specific and impactful

   1. CVClaire Vo0:50

      I think there's a lot of fear that ChatGPT or AI-generated writing is slop, and it's all generic. I love seeing this idea of you making the writing more specific and more impactful.

7. 1:01 – 1:11

   The practical workflow: writing side-by-side with ChatGPT open

   1. UCUnknown (former New York Times and Wall Street Journal columnist)1:01

      Quickly, I, you know, just discovered that it was so useful that now when I write, I have, like, two windows open on my screen. One is ChatGPT, and one is the document I'm working on.

Episode duration: 1:11