Did I just get rejected via ChatGPT?

Recently I texted a former colleague, suggesting we get together for coffee. I didn’t hear back from them for a bit (remaining gender neutral to avoid any incrimination…although if they read this post, they should recognize themselves), which I thought was unusual, but I didn’t read anything into. Then out of the blue I got a text reply…that was basically “I don’t want to talk to you, but that you can call anytime”. I was a little (really a lot) confused by the text because it didn’t sound like the person to me.

Fast forward to today and I was playing around with Chat GPT. I plugged in ‘text a former colleague and friend that you don’t want to talk’ and this was the response generated.

When communicating that you don’t want to talk to a former colleague and friend, it’s essential to be respectful and clear in your message. Here’s a way to do it:

“Hey [Their Name],

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out and have an honest conversation with you. While I cherish the time we spent as colleagues and friends, I feel it’s best for both of us if we don’t continue our communication at this time.

Life has taken me in a different direction, and I need some space to focus on my current priorities. I hope you can understand and respect my decision.

I wish you all the best in your endeavors and hope you find happiness and success in everything you do.

Take care,

[Your Name]”

ChatGPT

The wild thing is that the above text is quite similar to the text I received. My guess is this person got a little help from ChatGPT.

The takeaway – dang! ChatGPT is very impressive! If you don’t know what to say, ChatGPT is a great resource. But it isn’t perfect. And if you are friends with someone (and this person and I have been friends and colleagues for 20+ years), just know that you can’t simply copy and paste. The conversation won’t totally ring right – it has to reflect the person’s personality/style, which ChatGPT won’t know. I’m not going to call this person out. I debated replying back with something generated by ChatGPT, but that seemed too meta.

What a wild and crazy technological world we are living in!