Can CHAT-GPT replace a human consultant?

A recent boom in Artificial Intelligence (AI) brought more attention to the technology and many people started worrying that it would take their jobs. However, integration of AI into any field is more than a simple incorporation of a new component, rather it creates a whole new socio-technological dynamic that needs time to be accepted by the culture of an organisation. The primary difficulty is how to combine human intelligence with artificial so that it supports one’s ability instead of completely substituting or replacing them. Here will be discussed whether Chat-GPT, at the time it is the most advanced example of a publicly available AI bot, is capable of substituting the role of consultancy for organisations. For this example, the focus will be “employee well-being” as it is a well-established field thus CHAT-GPT should be able to provide a wide range of theories yet clearly pinpoint suitable solutions.

Generally, each organisation wants its subordinates to feel good about their jobs and have a sense of purpose. There is a sea of literature that would support this for any situation you can imagine, from recruits at the company, times of mass redundancies and even working past a retirement age. Most common theories such as Broaden and Built can be applied to any age and almost any case. It essentially is a positive feedback loop that if I feel happy, I am more likely to have novel thoughts, be productive and create better relationships with people around me, which leads to promotions, higher bonuses etc, that leads back to a better mood. And many more concepts that will take away space in your mind, and after all that is the exact reason you would hire consultants.

When prompted to outline reasons why different factors (work pressures, stress etc.) affect well-being, CHAT-GPT provides structured arguments that follow a cohesive structure so that the reader can grasp the general idea of the argument and its reasoning. Here GPT answered:

“High levels of work pressure, such as tight deadlines, heavy workloads, and constant demands, can lead to chronic stress for employees. Prolonged exposure to stress is associated with a range of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. Employees who consistently face work-related stress are more likely to experience burnout, which can have long-lasting negative effects on their overall well-being.”

We can see how it links work pressures and stress to chronic stress and mental health, closing the argument by highlighting the implications on one’s well-being. Furthermore, the majority of the AI claims are supported by the research, some are better studied than others, but they are all based on the actual literature. Therefore, it can be confidently said that CHAT-GPT understands the questions and can provide answers based on the latest studies.

However, examining statements provided by AI, it becomes clear that while it has knowledge of dominant theories and research within the field, it lacks depth. CHAT-GPT does not provide key statistical findings or highlight theories about why a given factor is related to well-being. Moreover, it fails to mention case-specific research that contradicts the general motion of the field. For instance, using the response mentioned above, it did not recognise that a moderate amount of stress is beneficial in improving performance and attention. Additionally, sometimes AI bases its argument on less dominant theories within the field, while it may not seem crucial, the real-world interventions, that are under-researched, might not reach the desired results. This highlights the importance of being up-to-date yet being able to select the most appropriate strategy.

To conclude, the verdict is that AI provides generic information which can be easily accessible online with a simple Google search. Thus, its current version is not a suitable substitute for trained experts. Nowadays, organisations would benefit more from hiring consultants than relying on AI.