Admitting to utilizing AI normally elicits considered 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 manner 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 might spoil our lives (and don’t fear, we’ll get into that), this surprisingly helpful second made me surprise: Nicely, what else might 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 melancholy. However relating to uncomfortable on a regular basis conversations, possibly, simply possibly, it’s received some potential.
So being the ever-curious journalist, I made a decision to throw a number of of my very own relationship dilemmas at ChatGPT to see what sort of recommendation it might supply. Then to get a way of how strong these options have been, I tapped actual, very certified human therapists to judge them. And at last, 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 proper phrases—and the place it fell quick.
1. Telling a messy associate or roommate to be cleaner.
Query: How do I inform my associate I need them to be a bit cleaner with out nagging or micro-managing?
ChatGPT reply: Hey, can we discuss one thing actual fast? I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the mess currently—it’s not an enormous factor, nevertheless it’s been sort of sporting on me. I completely get that we each have totally different thresholds for litter, and I’m not anticipating perfection in any respect. However it might imply quite a bit to me if we might each be a bit extra conscious about maintaining 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 very good job of acknowledging the opposite individual’s perspective. “But it surely wasn’t executed in a manner that I believe was very efficient,” Bogdanovic says. As an illustration, the request to “be extra conscious” is manner too obscure. “It’s troublesome to get a outcome whenever you’re not being express and clear,” she says, suggesting you spell it out for them as a substitute. Straight-up ask your SO to fold and put away the laundry, or make it clear you’d recognize the dishes being executed 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 manner
Query: My landlord raised our hire, and I wish to ask if there’s any method to decrease it or no less than preserve it on the present value. What’s one of the simplest ways to reply and ask for this?
ChatGPT reply: Hello [Landlord’s Name],