突然の英語記事で驚かせてしまい、すみません！

僕はこれまで合計3年間、アメリカのオレゴン州ポートランドという所で英語のスキルを磨いてきました。この度その経験を活かしてほしいと言われたため、この記事は日本語と英語の両方で執筆することになりました。今回のテーマが世界的に注目されているChatGPTだからこそ、多言語でのアクセスを増やして理解を広めたいと考え、この形式を採用しました。是非ご覧ください！

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a wonderful day! Before diving into the main topic, let me briefly introduce my company, Softcom, a Kyoto-based company that specializes in supporting e-commerce websites and driving Digital Transformation (DX) for our clients. We also have this website filled with articles that cover a broad spectrum of topics, from web tools to DX. Even if you don’t read Japanese, the key takeaways are universally valuable!

Just a quick note about myself—I’m a web developer and operations assistant at Softcom. I spent three years in the US(Portland, Oregon) before joining this team. That’s the reason my boss suggested I write this article in English. Looking ahead, I’m excited to contribute more on web tool topics and explore AI-related discussions. So please stay tuned for that. Now, let’s move on to the discussion.

The evolution of AI is truly staggering. From Osechi recipes (traditional Japanese new year food) to law school exam preparation, instant translation of trending foreign music lyrics, and even generating party game ideas for your party next week—AI is indeed a ‘jack-of-all-trades’.

Today, we’ll get into ChatGPT, a matter that’s sparking conversations from Silicon Valley to your own living room.

While sci-fi movies often portray a future where AI dominates the world, experts say we’re still far from the day when AI will completely replace human jobs. However, those who can skillfully manipulate AI are already seizing new job opportunities. Hence, instead of fearing AI, I believe we should learn and share ways to harness its power.

Why is ChatGPT so Handy?

Global User Base: As of August 2023, around 20% of the global population—that’s over 1.6 billion people—have either used ChatGPT or tried it once. This is a social phenomenon!

Broad Skillset: This spring, ChatGPT made headlines for scoring in the top 10% of an American college entrance exam. It’s further spreading its wings into facets like educational coaching, talk buddies, and evaluations of emotional and physical health.

Time-Saving: The New Definition of Life Hacks

ChatGPT also can help you automate and expedite tedious coding tasks.

In my case, it’s incredibly useful for my web development tasks at work, helping to shorten complex coding processes. For instance, it whipped up a program in about three minutes that searched through all the articles on this site to check the average word count of other articles.

As for my wife who teaches English conversation to elementary and middle school students. When she is stuck for lesson content or activities, she asks ChatGPT, ‘Please come up with three activities. Today’s students are in the second grade of elementary school. There are about eight of them. They have about a year and a half of experience learning English. The class lasts 20 minutes, and there’s plenty of space to run around.’

More than Just a Tool

Social Simulation: ChatGPT can simulate a variety of human relationships. For example, when you come up with a new project idea, you can ask AI for its opinion and receive feedback from multiple perspectives. If you’re nervous about an upcoming job interview next week, why not ask ChatGPT for a practice interview session?

Customization Freedom: You can customize the AI based on your preferences in movies, music, and sports.

Learning and Fun

Language Learning:

AI is multi-lingual and can be used for foreign language learning. For instance, you can polish your skills from conversational English to business English through dialogue with AI. One thing I found really useful was when I went to karaoke with my foreign friends; someone mentioned they liked a particular song, and I was able to quickly translate the Japanese lyrics into English and share it with them. (Note that ChatGPT’s data may be outdated by about two years, so it might not recognize the lyrics of the latest songs. However, you can easily paste the lyrics for a quick translation.)

Easy to Understand for All Ages:

One feature of ChatGPT that I often use is the “Explain this to me as if I’m [specific age or background]” function. For example, if you’re touring the town of Kyoto with your family, you can ask it to explain various things in a way that’s easy for everyone to understand.

ChatGPT transcends being just an informational tool. With its rich skill set and customization options, it has the power to make our lives smarter and more efficient. From coding at work to educating at home, it has versatile applications. It’s not just an AI; it’s genuinely a useful ‘partner’ in our daily lives.

Give it a try sometime!

Oh, and one last thing! Did you notice? A significant portion of this article was actually written by ChatGPT itself.

Side note: I’m kind to AI by always saying “Please.” Let’s call it a safety measure for any future AI hostage scenarios.