ChatGPT for Small Business: Safe Uses and Limits

ChatGPT for small business works best as a drafting helper, not as an expert you can trust without checking. It is a chat tool from OpenAI that went online on November 30, 2022. You type a request, and it writes an answer in plain language. Use it for first drafts. Check every fact before you use it. Never paste private data into it.

What ChatGPT is, in plain words

OpenAI describes ChatGPT as a model that talks in a conversational way. You can ask a follow-up question, and it can admit mistakes and push back on a wrong premise. It was released as a "research preview." That means OpenAI is still testing it and learning from users. During this preview, the tool is free to use.

The tool is new, and the rules around it are still taking shape. A careful start costs little and avoids most of the trouble.

Sources: OpenAI, Introducing ChatGPT (openai.com/blog/chatgpt), November 30, 2022.

Safe jobs to try first

The safest jobs are ones where you read and fix the result yourself. Here are a few that suit a small shop, clinic, studio or agency.

• Draft a polite reply to a customer message, then edit it so it sounds like you.
• Turn rough notes from a meeting into a clean list of tasks.
• Suggest five subject lines for a newsletter, then pick one and rewrite it.
• Write a first outline for a product page, a job advert or a staff guide.
• Explain a hard topic in simpler words so you can understand it faster.
• Rewrite a long paragraph so it is shorter and easier to read.

Each of these has the same shape. You supply the facts. The tool supplies wording. You stay in charge of the final text.

Why you must check the facts

OpenAI is open about the main weakness. It says ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. The words can sound sure of themselves and still be wrong. OpenAI also says the tool is sensitive to small changes in phrasing. With one wording, it may say it does not know. With a slight rewrite, it may answer.

The help pages say the same thing in another way. The tool is not connected to the internet. Its knowledge of the world and of events after 2021 is limited. OpenAI recommends that you check whether its answers are accurate. If an answer is wrong, you can send feedback with the "Thumbs Down" button.

For a business, this has a clear meaning. Do not trust it for prices, laws, tax rules, product specs, dates, quotes or names. A made-up detail in a customer letter can cost you trust. Treat every number and claim as a lead to confirm from an official or primary source. If you cannot confirm it, cut it.

Sources: OpenAI, Introducing ChatGPT; OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT FAQ (help.openai.com).

What never to paste in

OpenAI's help pages say the company reviews conversations to improve its systems. They also say your conversations may be reviewed by its AI trainers. The company says it cannot delete specific prompts from your history. It asks users not to share any sensitive information in their conversations.

So treat the chat box as a place others may read. Keep these out of it.

• Customer names, phone numbers, addresses and emails.
• Passwords, bank details, card numbers and ID numbers.
• Contracts, price lists and plans you want to keep private.
• Staff records, pay details and anything marked confidential.
• Any file a customer shared with you under a promise of privacy.

If you need help with a real customer case, swap the details for placeholders first. Write "Customer A" and "Product X," then add the real names back yourself in your own document.

Source: OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT FAQ (help.openai.com).

A simple routine for your team

Write a short rule sheet. Keep it to one page. A small team can start with these four lines.

1. Use ChatGPT for drafts only. A person reads and approves every text before it goes out.
2. Check every fact, number and name against a trusted source.
3. Paste in no private data about customers, staff or the business.
4. Note which jobs used the tool, so you can see what saved time and what did not.

Whatever the tool writes, you are still the one who answers for what you publish or send.

Try the tool for a week on low-risk jobs. Compare the time saved with the time spent on fixes. If the fixes take longer than writing it yourself, drop that use. If it helps, keep it, and keep the checks.

Source: OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT FAQ (help.openai.com).

Limits to remember

OpenAI also notes that the tool can sometimes respond to harmful instructions or show biased behavior, even though it tries to refuse inappropriate requests. Do not use it to judge people, such as job applicants or customers. Do not use it for legal, tax or health decisions. For those, ask a qualified professional. This is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice.

The tool will change fast. Features, limits and prices can shift as OpenAI learns from its preview. Re-read the official pages from time to time, and update your rule sheet when they change.

Sources: OpenAI, Introducing ChatGPT; OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT FAQ (help.openai.com).

Sources

• OpenAI, "Introducing ChatGPT," November 30, 2022: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
• OpenAI Help Center, "ChatGPT FAQ": https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6783457-chatgpt-faq