In the midst of turkey, holiday eggnog and total airline meltdowns, you may have missed the release of an AI tool called ChatGPT. It has become an Internet sensation, while simultaneously scaring the daylights out of everyone from Googlers to teachers to policy makers. Everyone is asking, “How will ChatGPT impact [insert industry/job/function]?” So since I spend my time at the intersection of tech and ESG, I wanted to consider the same question for ESG and CSR professionals.
How can ChatGPT help CSR and ESG professionals?
As an ESG (environmental, social, and governance) professional, it's important to stay informed and up-to-date on the latest developments in the field. ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, can be a valuable tool in this regard, providing insights and ideas to help ESG professionals stay on top of their game.
One way that ChatGPT can be useful for ESG professionals is in the generation of reports and summaries of important research and news in the field. By providing ChatGPT with relevant information and keywords, ESG professionals can quickly get up to speed on a particular topic, saving time and effort.
Another way that ChatGPT can be helpful is in the development of communication materials, such as press releases, social media posts, and website content. By providing ChatGPT with information about a company's ESG goals and values, ESG professionals can use the tool to generate ideas for messaging and tone, as well as assist with the actual writing process.
In addition, ChatGPT can be used to generate ideas for new ESG initiatives and programs. By providing ChatGPT with information about a company's goals and values, as well as the current state of the field, ESG professionals can use the tool to come up with a range of potential ideas for projects and initiatives. This can be a great way to spark creativity and come up with new approaches to ESG.
Finally, ChatGPT can be used to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of existing ESG initiatives. By providing ChatGPT with data on the impact and outcomes of a particular program, ESG professionals can use the tool to identify areas for improvement and optimize their efforts.
In short, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for ESG professionals looking to stay informed, generate ideas, and evaluate the effectiveness of their work. Whether you're just starting out in the field or are a seasoned professional, ChatGPT can help you stay up-to-date and make the most of your ESG efforts.
That entire italicized summary was generated by “training” ChatGPT in the voice of Susan Hunt Stevens by pumping in four former Saturday Sparks. I then asked for 250 words answering my question about how ChatGPT can help ESG professionals, written as I would write. Is it a bit simplistic and repetitive? Sure. Would I ever say “on top of their game” in a blog post? I certainly hope not. But did it point out four valuable ways that ChatGPT will help ESG professionals? Yes.
I did this experiment with our marketing director (who gets all the credit for encouraging me to try it). We then brainstormed all the potential ways it will save us time - analyzing data, turning blog posts into social content, researching, and making the process of writing simpler and faster. It doesn’t eliminate the need to edit (although I didn’t edit those italics one bit), to be more creative, or go more in depth. But it can provide a very solid starting point.
ChatGPT isn’t taking over every Saturday Spark anytime soon, but it is certainly one of those times when you try a new technology and go “wow..this is game changing.” I encourage you to try it and share ideas with me for how you think it can help ESG professionals. I am confident your ideas will still be better than the bots.
Quote of the Week: As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.