Can AI Help You Get Organized?
Perhaps it’s because I am married to a software developer, but I have been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) lately. In November 2022, OpenAI released their chat bot, Chat GPT; and on March 31, 2023, Google debuted their version, Bard. Chat GPT and Bard primarily function by mimicking human conversation. Opinions on the use, necessity, and safety of these features are varied, ranging from exciting to dangerous. I don’t have strong feelings on these things yet—just that I hope Will Smith is ready to help humanity if needed.
source IMDB.com
I want to explain a key feature of how AI chat bots work that a lot of people (including myself at first) seem to misunderstand. They are not like a search engine and they don’t exactly “know” facts. They compile information based on what they learned about language. And they learned about language from internet text databases: “books, webtexts, Wikipedia, articles and other pieces of writing on the internet…300 billion words were fed into the system.”
They are able to relay factual information by connecting words and topics gathered from these sources, but they don’t search for the information like Google or “know it.” For example, they don’t “know” that the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, but they regurgitate grammatically semi-correct sentences that state The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 because they have learned that those words go together.
I thought an interesting way to experience these two AI systems for the first time would be to have them answer a prompt that I could answer myself. The prompt is below, as well as the answers by each AI system, followed by my analysis.
Prompt
Write a blog post for an interior designer and professional organizer about the best way to declutter your home.
CHAT GPT ANSWER
As an interior designer and professional organizer, I understand the importance of having a decluttered and organized home. Not only does it make your space feel more open and inviting, but it can also help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.
One of the best ways to declutter your home is to start by tackling one room at a time. This will make the process less overwhelming and allow you to focus on one area at a time. I recommend starting with the room that causes you the most stress or the one that you spend the most time in.
The next step is to go through each item in the room and decide whether or not it is something that you truly need or use. If it is something that you haven't used in the past six months, it's probably something that you can get rid of.
As you go through the items in the room, create three piles: one for items to keep, one for items to donate or sell, and one for items to throw away. Be sure to be ruthless when deciding what to get rid of, as the more items you can eliminate, the more organized and decluttered your space will be.
Once you have gone through all of the items in the room, it's time to organize what you're keeping. This is where a professional organizer can be extremely helpful in creating customized storage solutions that work for your specific needs and space.
Another important aspect of decluttering and organizing your home is to establish a system for keeping it that way. This means setting aside time each week to go through your space and getting rid of anything that is no longer needed, and putting things back where they belong.
By following these steps and creating a system for keeping your space organized, you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of a decluttered and organized home for years to come.
In conclusion, decluttering your home can seem like an overwhelming task, but by taking it one room at a time and making sure to keep only what you need, you can make your space feel more open and inviting. And with the help of a professional organizer, you can create a customized storage solution that works for your specific needs and help to maintain a clutter-free environment for the long-term.
BARD ANSWER
As an interior designer and professional organizer, I've helped countless clients declutter their homes. And I can tell you, it's not always easy. But it is always worth it.
A decluttered home is a more peaceful and relaxing space. It's also a more efficient space, where you can find what you need when you need it. And, of course, a decluttered home is simply more beautiful.
If you're ready to declutter your home, here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Start with one room at a time.
Don't try to declutter your entire home in one fell swoop. That's only going to make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, start with one room at a time. Once you've decluttered one room, you'll have a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep going.
2. Set a timer.
When you're decluttering, it's easy to get sidetracked. You might start to sort through one box and then get distracted by something else. That's why it's helpful to set a timer. When the timer goes off, take a break and come back to decluttering later.
3. Be ruthless.
When you're decluttering, you need to be ruthless. If you haven't used something in a year, get rid of it. If you don't love something, get rid of it. If you're not sure if you should get rid of something, ask yourself this question: "If I saw this item at a store today, would I buy it?" If the answer is no, then you don't need it.
4. Donate or sell your unwanted items.
Once you've decluttered your home, you'll need to get rid of the items you no longer want. You can donate them to a local charity or sell them at a garage sale. If you're selling your items, be sure to take good photos and post them in a popular online marketplace.
5. Keep decluttering a habit.
Decluttering your home is not a one-time event. It's an ongoing process. That's why it's important to keep decluttering a habit. Make time each week to go through your belongings and get rid of anything you no longer need.
Decluttering your home is a great way to improve your quality of life. It's also a great way to save money and reduce stress. If you're ready to declutter your home, follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to a more peaceful and organized home.
Let’s Discuss
First off, this is all generally good advice. I don’t feel compelled to correct any of this, so let’s compare.
The flow of the text is similar. The responses seem to follow what we learned when writing our first essays: introduction paragraph, five-ish key points, and a conclusion. BARD’s formatting is better suited to a blog post of this content.
They both cover five key elements for decluttering your home:
1. In order to get started a not feel overwhelmed, do one room at a time. Chat GPT gives you the how: how to choose the room to start in, and BARD gives you the why: to create momentum.
2. In order to decide what items to purge ask yourself key questions. Chat GPT: do you need it or have you used it in the last 6 months? BARD: would you buy it again? Have you used it in the last year? Do you love it?
They both stress to be RUTHLESS. It’s interesting to me that they both hone in on this word.
3. How to remove the purged items from your home. Chat GPT: keep pile, donate pile, trash pile. BARD either donate it or sell it.
4. Organize the things you are keeping. Chat GPT mentions storage solutions and the idea of hiring a professional organizer. Bard doesn’t include this key step. Creating systems for the things you are keeping is very important.
5. Maintain the items you have. Both emphasize assessing your stuff on a weekly basis.
Both conclude focusing on the benefits of a decluttered and organized home. Chat GPT focuses on the emotional benefits and how your home will feel, while Bard’s conclusion leans more pragmatic by mentioning money savings and stress reduction.
I hope you enjoyed this breakdown on AI blog posts. In this context I see how they could be helpful to get an author started, but an authentic and quality post can only be written by human experts in the field.