August 6, 2023
A 22-year-old student from Kolkata, Sharanya Bhattacharya, has come forward with a distressing story of how her life took a dramatic turn due to the introduction of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Chat GPT. The young woman, who was previously earning a modest income as a ghost writer and copywriter, revealed that her income plummeted by a staggering 90% since the advent of AI-driven content creation.
Impact of AI takeover
Sharanya Bhattacharya used to work as a prolific writer for a creative solutions agency, juggling her studies with the demands of her job. She was accustomed to picking up SEO-optimized articles and earning around $240 (approximately Rs 20,000) per month. However, her life has taken an unexpected detour with ChatGPT’s introduction into the scene in November of the previous year.
Ms. Bhattacharya recounted that by late 2022, her workload dwindled significantly, and she found herself composing only one or two articles per month.
Strikingly, her company provided no explanation for the drastic reduction in her assignments. This sudden lack of work coincided with the rise of AI-generated content, leaving her to suspect that Chat GPT’s introduction aimed to cut costs by replacing human writers.
The Kolkata student shared her heartfelt concerns, stating, “It has been really tough since the reduction in my workload – not just for me but my family, too.” She revealed that her income used to support her and her mother, who sold sarees. With the decline in her earnings, the family has to make severe cutbacks on their living expenses.
AI Affecting Jobs Debate
Bhattacharya’s narrative is reflective of the larger debate surrounding the automation of creative jobs and its potential ramifications on livelihoods. She emphasized the significant disparity between human-generated and AI-generated content and implored companies to consider the human impact of mass job cuts.
There are a lot of good copywriters not just in India but around the world that are being affected by this.
I hope there will be a way in the future where humans can incorporate AI with their copyrighting skills to work together to yield overall, better results,” she expressed.
As she navigates an uncertain future in the face of potential unemployment, the young student revealed the toll that the situation has taken on her mental health.
“I have been anxious, feeling lost, having panic attacks, it has not been a very good past couple of months for me,” she shared.
Ms. Bhattacharya’s story brings to light the intricate balance between technological advancements and the well-being of individuals. Especially those who rely on traditional job markets.
The plea for a harmonious integration of AI and human skills serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for ethical considerations in the implementation of technology. To ensure a fair and inclusive future for all.
