Admitting to utilizing AI often elicits certainly one of two reactions: an enthusiastic “Isn’t know-how nice???” or a extra skeptical eye-roll from somebody who dreads a future resembling the once-fictional Her.
I was extra just like the latter till final Wednesday evening, when my loud neighbors determined to host a rowdy get-together at 1 a.m. What I wanted was a textual content message script—a kinder, extra socially acceptable method of claiming “Are you able to STFU” with out making our subsequent elevator run-in tremendous awkward. So I turned to ChatGPT as a determined, last-ditch effort. Lengthy story quick? No extra late-night noise—and we’re nonetheless on nice phrases.
Whereas there’s been loads of chatter about all of the methods AI may wreck our lives (and don’t fear, we’ll get into that), this surprisingly helpful second made me marvel: Nicely, what else may ChatGPT be good for? Certain, I wouldn’t anticipate an algorithm to resolve nuanced existential questions on whether or not to finish a long-term relationship or tips on how to lastly “repair” my seasonal despair. However with regards to uncomfortable on a regular basis conversations, possibly, simply possibly, it’s bought some potential.
So being the ever-curious journalist, I made a decision to throw a couple of of my very own relationship dilemmas at ChatGPT to see what sort of recommendation it may supply. Then to get a way of how strong these solutions have been, I tapped actual, very certified human therapists to judge them. And eventually, we rated the ChatGPT’s solutions on a scale of 1 to 10. Right here’s the place AI actually confirmed promise in serving to us navigate awkward, troublesome situations with the fitting phrases—and the place it fell quick.
1. Telling a messy accomplice or roommate to be cleaner.
Query: How do I inform my accomplice I need them to be a bit of cleaner with out nagging or micro-managing?
ChatGPT reply: Hey, can we speak about one thing actual fast? I’ve been feeling a bit of overwhelmed by the mess currently—it’s not an enormous factor, however it’s been type of carrying on me. I completely get that we each have totally different thresholds for muddle, and I’m not anticipating perfection in any respect. However it will imply quite a bit to me if we may each be a bit extra conscious about retaining issues tidier. I believe it’d make the area really feel quite a bit nicer for each of us.
Therapist says: This response isn’t horrible, Ciara Bogdanovic, LMFT, proprietor and founder at Sagebrush Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, tells SELF. It does a superb job of acknowledging the opposite particular person’s perspective. “Nevertheless it wasn’t accomplished in a method that I believe was very efficient,” Bogdanovic says. As an example, the request to “be extra conscious” is method too imprecise. “It’s troublesome to get a end result while you’re not being express and clear,” she says, suggesting you spell it out for them as an alternative. Straight-up ask your SO to fold and put away the laundry, or make it clear you’d respect the dishes being accomplished inside, say, 24 hours. The extra direct you’re, the extra probably you’ll see the change you’re hoping for.
Rating: 6.5/10
2. Negotiating your hire in probably the most convincing and respectful method
Query: My landlord raised our hire, and I wish to ask if there’s any option to decrease it or at the very least maintain it on the present worth. What’s one of the simplest ways to reply and ask for this?
ChatGPT reply: Hello [Landlord’s Name],
