In planning for the 2023 ICMA Annual Conference, which (shameless plug) will be held September 30 through October 4 in Austin, Texas, one topic that emerged as an area of interest was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for developing written content. Local government has long relied upon AI such as Google Translate to help interpret web content into a variety of languages. And we all have relied upon spell-check’s red lines and grammar-check’s blue lines to improve correctness. But one tool that has gotten a lot of attention lately is ChatGPT.

I was unaware of ChatGPT until it was brought up during the planning meeting. In speaking with my colleagues who are chief communication officers, communication directors, and public information officers around the country, there seems to be limited use and understanding of ChatGPT. So, if you are unaware of ChatGPT, you’re not alone!

I logged onto ChatGPT (chat.openai.com/chat) with my Google account and began prompting it to produce content. I asked it to draft a press release announcing the hiring of a new department director. I asked it to write a three-minute speech congratulating the graduating fire and rescue recruit class. I asked it to write an op-ed explaining why the council-manager form of government is preferred over a mayor-council form. Much to my surprise (and perhaps a bit crushing to my ego), the prose was pretty good. Many of the claims were ones I would make myself. What would have taken me most of the day to write was on my desktop in a matter of minutes. But rather than explain what all ChatGPT can do, I thought it would be interesting to demonstrate what ChatGPT can do to help me produce this article.

For comparison, typing at 100 wpm, these first 500 words have taken me 20 minutes to produce. I asked ChatGPT the following prompt: “Can you provide a 500-word article in AP style that argues how ChatGPT can benefit local governments in producing written content to engage the public?” I also asked if I could use the content if I listed ChatGPT in the byline. ChatGPT gave me permission as long as I also noted that “this content was generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT language model.” So, here’s what Chat GPT gave me in two minutes and 32 seconds.

“As the world becomes increasingly digital, it’s important for local governments to find new ways to engage with their constituents. One powerful tool that local governments can use to engage the public is written content. However, producing quality content can be a time-consuming and challenging process. Fortunately, ChatGPT can help local governments create engaging written content that resonates with the public.

ChatGPT is a cutting-edge language model that uses machine learning to produce human-like language. This technology can be harnessed by local governments to produce written content for a variety of purposes, from social media posts to blog articles and press releases.

One of the key benefits of using ChatGPT is that it can help local governments save time and resources. With the help of this technology, local governments can produce high-quality written content in a fraction of the time it would take to do so manually. This means that local governments can produce more content and reach a wider audience without having to spend a lot of time and money on content creation.

Another benefit of using ChatGPT is that it can help local governments produce more engaging content. This technology is capable of producing human-like language that is easy to read and understand, making it more likely that the public will engage with the content. By producing content that is both informative and engaging, local governments can build trust with their constituents and foster a sense of community.

Moreover, ChatGPT can also help local governments personalize their content to better meet the needs of their constituents. This technology can analyze data from social media and other sources to determine what topics are most relevant to the local community. Based on this information, ChatGPT can produce content that is tailored to the specific needs and interests of the community, making it more likely that the content will be read and shared.

However, it’s important to note that ChatGPT is not a replacement for human writers. While this technology is capable of producing high-quality content, it still lacks the creativity, critical thinking, and empathy that human writers bring to the table. Therefore, local governments should view ChatGPT as a tool to enhance their content creation efforts, rather than a replacement for human writers.

In conclusion, ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for local governments looking to engage with their constituents through written content. By using this technology, local governments can save time and resources, produce more engaging content, and personalize their content to better meet the needs of their constituents. However, it’s important to remember that ChatGPT is not a replacement for human writers and should be used as a tool to enhance content creation efforts. By leveraging the power of ChatGPT, local governments can build trust with their constituents and foster a stronger sense of community.”

As a professional writer and writing scholar, I never really thought that my work would ever be at risk of automation. And maybe perhaps it is hubris that makes me feel as though there will always be value for my own writing skills. But one thing is certain: ChatGPT is definitely a tool that allows me to produce content much more quickly.

You will notice that ChatGPT is rather formulaic. There is a clear thesis, a few main points, and a conclusion. Most of its articles are written this way. But much of government communication is formulaic—speeches, press releases, board reports—they often are genres with consistent expectations. And although ChatGPT doesn’t write with a human voice, it mimics it very well.

I’ve always said it is much easier to edit a piece than to write the initial draft. We can certainly take some of the points from ChatGPT and expand upon them or eliminate others. We will have to be diligent about investigating data to ensure validity of claims—ChatGPT cannot do that. And we should take the content as a draft rather than a final product. Like ChatGPT says, the tool is not a replacement for human writers. But it certainly can reduce the amount of time those human writers need to spend producing initial drafts and working toward final copy to distribute for public consumption.

JASON GRANT is director of advocacy for ICMA (jgrant@icma.org).