CEOs in Davos are using ChatGPT to compose work emails

Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of online learning provider Coursera, said that when he first tried ChatGPT, he was “blown away”. Now, it’s part of your daily routine.

It uses new and powerful AI chatbot tool to send emails. He uses it to craft speeches “in a friendly, upbeat, authoritative tone with a mixed cadence.” He even uses it to help break down big strategic questions – like “how should Coursera approach incorporating artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT into their platform”.

“I use him as a writing assistant and a thinking partner,” Maggioncalda told CNN .

Maggioncalda is one of thousands of business, political and academic leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland, this week for the World Economic Forum. On the agenda are a number of pressing issues weighing on the global economy, from the energy crisis to the war in Ukraine and the transformation of trade. But what many keep talking about is ChatGPT.

The tool, which artificial intelligence research firm OpenAI made available to the general public late last year, sparked conversations about how “generative AI” services – which can turn requests into essays, stories, music and original images after the training on huge online datasets – could radically transform the way we live and work.

Some claim this will leave artists, tutors, coders, and writers (yes, even journalists) out of work. Others are more optimistic, positing that this will allow employees to tackle to-do lists more efficiently or focus on higher-level tasks.

It is a debate that has captivated many leaders, many times after they have tested the tool themselves.

Christian Lanng, CEO of digital supply chain platform Tradeshift, said he was impressed with the capabilities displayed by ChatGPT, even after years of exposure to Silicon Valley hype.

He also used the platform to write emails and claims no one noticed the difference. He even did some accounting work, a service for which Tradeshift currently employs an expensive professional services firm.

So far, ChatGPT has mostly been treated as a curiosity and a harbinger of things to come. It is based on OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 language model, which is already outdated; the more advanced GPT-4 version is in the works and could be released this year.

Critics – of which there are many – are quick to point out that he makes mistakes, is painfully neutral and shows a distinct lack of human empathy. A tech news publication, for example, was forced to issue several significant corrections to an article written by ChatGPT. And New York City public schools banned students and teachers from using it.

However, the software, or similar programs from competitors, could soon conquer the business world.

OpenAI investor Microsoft announced this week that the company’s tools – including GPT-3.5, Codex programming assistant and DALL-E 2 imager – are now available to enterprise customers in a package called Azure OpenAI Service. ChatGPT will be added soon.

“I see these technologies acting as a co-pilot, helping people do more with less,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told an audience in Davos this week.

Maggioncalda has a similar perspective. He wants to integrate generative AI into Coursera’s offering this year, seeing an opportunity to make learning more interactive for students who don’t have access to face-to-face or one-on-one classes with subject matter experts.

He recognizes that challenges like preventing cheating and ensuring accuracy need to be addressed. And he is concerned that the increased use of generative AI may not be entirely good for society – people may become less agile thinkers, for example, as the act of writing can be useful for processing complex ideas and honing conclusions.

Still, he sees the need to act quickly.

“Anyone who doesn’t use this will soon be at a huge disadvantage. Like, soon. Like, very soon,” said Maggioncalda. “I’m just thinking about my cognitive ability with this tool. Compared to before, it is much higher, and my efficiency and productivity are much higher.”