2023 has offered many surprises so far, but perhaps none as consequential as novel developments in the world of artificial intelligence. AI art has become popularized, language translation has advanced and if you look hard enough, you will encounter copious amounts of TikToks featuring fake AI generated voices of recent presidents playing competitive video games. 

But nothing has generated as much debate as ChatGPT, a public chatbot that uses simple inputs to deliver advanced, well-written outputs. A friend of mine demonstrated by typing “give me a poem about a bar called Legends” into the chatbot. Within seconds, it returned beautiful stanzas that fulfilled the prompt.

ChatGPT has many experts calling for immediate government regulation and counter-algorithms, while others have embraced the potential that ChatGPT and similar AI will have on the modern world.

The fears are understandable: ChatGPT has been utilized to write essays, emails and even cover letters.

I graduated from the Universiy in August 2022. After returning from a temporary job post in Colombia for the holidays, I began the painful process that is the job search. And yet, when I apply to a job on LinkedIn that tells me 200 applicants have already applied, I wonder, “How many ChatGPT cover letters am I competing against?” 

It ignites a prisoner’s dilemma within my soul — I want to honestly produce my own cover letter without cutting corners, but has ChatGPT changed the game? Am I at a disadvantage if I don’t use this tool?

I write to warn incoming graduates to consider the question: how will ChatGPT fit into my job search? I can only speculate, but I believe the job search to be just one facet of society that has changed as a result of these AI developments, but one facet that is especially pertinent to college upperclassmen. 

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