Given the amount of buzz about it on the internet, by now you must have heard of ChatGPT. What is it? By the system’s own definition (see screenshot below), ChatGPT is “an AI (Artificial Intelligence) language model developed by OpenAI that is capable of generating human-like text.”

The AI language model has made waves in the industry, from recent coverage on South Park (“Deep Learning,” S26 E4) to becoming a hot topic of discussion in the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) contract negotiations (HI – at the time of writing there is a strong prospect of a strike).

While I must confess that I was initially put off by the idea of communicating with AI (due to my own self-proclaimed technophobia and privacy concerns fueled by movies like iRobot and The Terminator), I soon realized that I didn’t actually know the full extent of its capabilities and potential benefits. That was until I read a newsletter mentioning how to use ChatGPT prompts to speed up and streamline content creation… whaaat? And by coincidence, on the same day, I came across a reposted Instagram story from actress and marketing expert Jordan Elizabeth Gelber (@jodie_starbaby), who runs the account @actorgpt. Gelber has produced a webinar on how actors can leverage the AI technology to their advantage. She shared, “I was determined to create something using ChatGPT for actors because I saw how many people were creating ‘ChatGPT for this’ and ‘that’ but none of it was directed towards helping creatives with business solutions – and a lightbulb went off.”

As more and more headlines about ChatGPT came across my newsfeed and email inbox, it became apparent I had two choices: either I try it out for myself or risk being left behind as a result of my Capricorn stubbornness. So I gave in and to my surprise, I was extremely impressed and mindblown by the results. As a writer, it felt like I’d stumbled on something forbidden. Detailed responses generated in mere seconds to minutes… gasp: blasphemy!

However, like any and all technological advancement, ChatGPT comes with its share of pros and cons… let’s explore.

Pros of ChatGPT for Actors and Creatives

1. Content creation: Actors and Creatives can use prompts to generate script outlines, stories, and dialogue. According to Forbes, AI technology has already been used in Hollywood to create movie trailers and marketing pitches, while Marvel director Joe Russo estimates AI-Generated feature films  are two years away. Creepy!
2. Brainstorming: Its ability to act as a sounding board and assist with brainstorming is next-level. I used prompts like “Please title a webinar on how to start a podcast,” or “Can you rename a [insert product type] titled [insert name] and make it catered to actors?” It generated several ideas and suggestions and if I wasn’t satisfied with any of them I could ask ChatGPT to “make it catchier” or give it more information and details of what I wanted. This has the potential to save artists time and energy, allowing them to focus on bringing their vision to life.
3. Branding: Looking to establish or improve your brand? It can generate social media posts, pitch emails, or even rewrite and improve your pre-existing bios for your online presence and theatre programs. Again, whaaat?

Cons of ChatGPT for Actors and Creatives

1. Lack of Personal Touch and Quality Issues: One of the potential drawbacks of using ChatGPT is the lack of personal touch. While it can generate content and ideas, it may not always capture the artist’s unique voice or style. [HI, it wrote the preceding sentence and I don’t sound like this… do I?] Oh, and there’s also the argument for the lack of copyright protections.
2. Overreliance: With the decrease in literacy in the United States already, I’m worried that the ease of this technology will discourage actual writing and potentially affect cognitive abilities down the line. Yikes! There’s a current fear that as it advances through future versions, ChatGPT could potentially take away jobs from writers, screenwriters, and those in communications and digital marketing. This dependence could also stifle creativity and limit the ability to think outside the box.
3. Bias: Like most technology, ChatGPT could be susceptible to bias, based on the training data used to develop the model. Sadly we live in a predominantly white cis-heterosexual and patriarchal society, which means the generated content may be influenced by cultural and/or social biases. Another argument for why we need a range of people from racial and cultural backgrounds (including indigenous peoples and those with disabilities) working in tech.

In general, ChatGPT shows great promise as a game-changer for actors and creatives, thanks to its ability to enhance creative workflow. However, going forward, I believe it’s important to acknowledge its potential drawbacks and establish clear guidelines in our respective industries to prevent these new technologies from jeopardizing the livelihoods of artists. While it is important to embrace new technologies and find ways to integrate them into our industries, we must continue to value the unique skills and contributions of artists and creatives. Stay tuned for my follow-up article, where I share insights from artists and creatives on their opinions about AI technology.

This article was originally published on TheatreArtLife.com. Written by TheatreArtLife contributor Vongai Shava. 

Vongai Shava

Vongai (she/her) is an award-winning actor, singer and writer based in New York. She has worked in theatre, film, television and voiceovers. Before the Big Apple, she was born in Harare (Zimbabwe) and raised in London (UK) and Beijing (China) making her a proud third culture kid. She holds a B.A (Hons) in Film and Television Studies from Brunel University London and had the privilege of classically training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NY. In 2018 she won the award for Best Drama Actress at Catalyst Content Festival (formerly ITVFest) for the short film, Patiri In The Promised Land. Vongai hosts ZimExcellence, a podcast that spotlights Zimbabwean change-makers and trailblazers. The show currently has 2.3K+ downloads and has been streamed in 58 countries and 381 cities around the world. Vongai is also a self-proclaimed ‘audition cheerleader’, having garnered over 800 positive reviews for supporting actors with their auditions on the platform, WeAudition. Follow her journey @vongaiofficial | https://bio.link/vongaiofficial