ChatGPT is not Google.
I know that may seem obvious, but it really isn’t.
And we can’t think about it that way.
Because as long as we think of ChatGPT in any way similar to Google, we’re holding ourselves back from really using it (at least in the ways that it’s most powerful).
I mean, sure, you can access them both from your computer. You type some sort of “prompt” into both. And then both give you some sort of response. So it’s easy to compare the two or even to think of them as basically the same.
But they aren’t the same.
When I work with schools, this one of the key points I try to stress – successfully integrating AI is not just thinking about where you are currently using technology and inserting AI instead. It’s not this at all.
Imagine you’re a brand new teacher, and you have two choices:
You open up your computer and Google “how to lesson plan” or “creative ideas to assess student learning.” You find a bunch of different responses, ranging from teacher blogs to books that were written a few years ago to an article from an organization you think you recognize.
You happen to have a connection to one of the greatest teachers and coaches of all time. You call up that teacher and talk about your particular class and your students and what, exactly, are your questions. You dialogue back and forth to figure out the best possible approach that fits both your teaching style and the unique needs of your students.
In the first option, you posed a prompt and got some possible responses.
In the second option, you brainstormed and reflected and pushed for more – all based on you and what you need.
This is the difference between ChatGPT and Google.
It’s a totally different mindset and approach, which (therefore) produces entirely different results.
We get caught up, though, because they look so similar. We also don’t recognize that one day ChatGPT could be a master teacher. The next it could be a potential parent with whom to roleplay. The next it could be a marketing and communications expert. And then it could be a differentiation expert and then…
Or it could be all of those things in one day. And an infinite number of other things.
But Google will always just be Google.
So how can we start to train our mind to recognize, appreciate, and adjust to the differences between ChatGPT (and AI) and Google (or anything else that’s been out there)?
Tell yourself that Google and ChatGPT aren’t the same. Write a sticky and put it somewhere you’ll see to remind you to get into that AI state of mind.
Come up with a nickname for ChatGPT to make that difference more clear to your brain (someone I spoke with yesterday calls it “Chatty G”). Think of it like a person when you’re thinking about potential uses (and vary the kind of person it is).
When using ChatGPT, treat it not like Google – engage it in conversation, ask questions, tell it to do something different. If you don’t like the response it gives you, ask for something different.
Learn from your use of ChatGPT to figure out what works best for you. Consider what information and what prompts you need to include to get the response that you want.
Invite ChatGPT to the table whenever possible. Before tackling something on your own (or going to Google by default), consider if this is a space where ChatGPT could be helpful.
So much of effective AI usage goes beyond the actual “how to” of using these tools and exceeds into the mindset.
Google and ChatGPT are very different.
We just need to keep reminding ourselves.
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