ChatGPT is the mother of all productivity tools. Learning to use it properly can exponentially increase your productivity. In this post, I’ll provide a partial list of use cases to help you get started using ChatGPT for digital activism.
What Is ChatGPT?
Rather than regurgitate content well-covered elsewhere, here’s a short video covering the basics.
Applications of ChatGPT for Digital Activism
Churn Through Content
You can use ChatGPT to read and summarize articles, videos, and PDFs. I use the Chrome extension ChatGPT – Summarize Everything. With one click, it will submit a web page to ChatGPT and ask it to generate a one-paragraph summary and a list of salient bullet points.
Analyze Legislation and Steel Man Arguments
Another application uses ChatGPT to analyze legislation. I used the following prompt to analyze a New Hampshire bill and provide me with a list of pros and cons from several viewpoints. This offers insight into your opponents’ arguments and lets you pre-frame your position.
Summarize the following legislation and provide a list of pros and cons from the perspectives of a parent, a teacher, and a student https://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?id=1079&txtFormat=html&sy=2023
Here is the output:
Parents’ Bill of Rights in Education: Summary
The legislation, titled “AN ACT establishing a parents’ bill of rights in education,” aims to reaffirm the rights of parents in guiding their children’s upbringing, education, and care. It emphasizes that no educational institution should withhold information about a child’s health, school environment, or in-school behavior from their parents, barring a compelling government interest.
The bill defines several terms, including “parent,” “minor,” “compelling state interest,” “school,” “school personnel,” and “infringement.” It also outlines various rights reserved for parents, including the right to direct their child’s upbringing, education, and moral or religious training, and the right to access and review all education records related to their child within 14 days.
The bill prohibits schools and school personnel from infringing upon any of the parental rights outlined in the legislation. Parents can bring legal action against a school for violations of these rights, and the court may award reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs to the prevailing party.
Pros and Cons from Different Perspectives
Parents
Pros:
- The legislation gives parents a greater say in their children’s education and reaffirms their rights.
- It allows parents to access their child’s educational records promptly.
- It provides a legal course of action for parents if they feel their rights have been infringed upon.
Cons:
- Some parents might worry that this law could infringe on the professional expertise and judgement of educators.
- There may be concerns about the potential for increased litigation against schools, which could divert resources from education to legal defenses.
Teachers
Pros:
- Teachers may appreciate the clarity the law provides in defining the boundaries of parental rights in education.
- It could improve communication and transparency between parents and schools.
Cons:
- Teachers may feel that this legislation could undermine their professional expertise and autonomy.
- They might be concerned about potential legal consequences in their interactions with students and parents.
- There could be an increased administrative burden to ensure compliance with this law, such as tracking and providing information to parents.
Students
Pros:
- The legislation could result in greater parental involvement in students’ education, which can have positive effects on academic outcomes.
- It might provide students with additional support and resources if their parents are more informed and involved in their education.
Cons:
- Some students, particularly older ones, might feel that this legislation infringes on their privacy.
- It could potentially lead to conflicts between students’ wishes and parents’ decisions regarding their education.
Please note that these are potential pros and cons. The actual effects of the legislation would depend on how it is implemented and interpreted by schools, parents, and courts. It’s also essential to consider the specific cultural, socioeconomic, and educational contexts in which this legislation would operate.
Identify Voter Segments
The key to effective activism is getting the right message to the right person at the right time. You can use ChatGPT to help you identify who are the “right” people by providing some background information about your focus issues.
Imagine you are a Republican political candidate running for the New Hampshire house of representatives. Your three main campaign issues are keeping taxes low, protecting second amendment rights, and supporting school choice. For each campaign issue, please identify three possible avatars who would be in favor of those policies.
Sure, here are three potential avatars for each of your main campaign issues:
1. Keeping Taxes Low:
a. Small Business Owner: They understand the burden of excessive taxation and how it can hinder growth and innovation. They believe in a business-friendly environment where taxes are kept low to encourage entrepreneurship and job creation. This individual might own a local restaurant, a retail shop, or a tech startup in Manchester.
b. Retiree: They’ve worked their whole lives, saved responsibly, and now they want to enjoy their retirement without worrying about high taxes eating into their savings. They believe in the importance of fiscal responsibility at the government level and want their retirement income to go as far as possible.
c. Young Professional: As someone just starting out in their career, they are concerned about how much of their income is going towards taxes. They may have student loans to pay off and are trying to save for a home or start a family. They want to see their hard-earned money going further.
2. Protecting Second Amendment Rights:
a. Veteran: Having served in the military, they firmly believe in the right to bear arms as a fundamental part of their freedom and security. They may see gun ownership as a way to protect their family and property, and they value the discipline and responsibility that comes with gun ownership.
b. Rural Farmer: Living in a more remote part of the state, they rely on guns for a variety of practical purposes like hunting and protecting their livestock. They view the Second Amendment as a safeguard for these activities and their way of life.
c. Sport Shooter: This individual enjoys recreational shooting and may participate in competitive events. They see the right to bear arms as integral to their hobby and believe in responsible gun ownership.
3. Supporting School Choice:
a. Parent of a Gifted Student: They believe their child isn’t being adequately challenged in the current public school system and want the ability to send their child to a school that better caters to their advanced learning needs.
b. Parent of a Child with Special Needs: They might feel that their child’s unique learning needs aren’t being met in their assigned school. They want the freedom to choose a school or program where their child can thrive and receive the personalized attention they need.
c. Immigrant Family: They value education immensely and want their children to have access to the best schools possible, regardless of their neighborhood or income level. They believe in the American dream and see school choice as a way to provide their children with the best opportunities for success.
Brainstorm Content Ideas
One of ChatGPT’s greatest applications is ideation. Once you identify your avatar and zero in on their triggers, you can ask ChatGPT to suggest content ideas.
My avatar is a small business owner who understands the burden of excessive taxation and how it can hinder growth and innovation. My avatar faces the following problems and challenges: High taxes can directly affect their profit margins, making it harder to reinvest in their business, pay their employees, or even keep the doors open. This creates stress and uncertainty about the future of their business. Navigating the complex tax code can be challenging and time-consuming. The effort to understand and comply with all the requirements can feel like an additional “tax” in itself, taking away time they could be investing in growing their business. They may feel that the tax system disproportionately burdens small businesses compared to larger corporations, which can afford expert tax advice and may be able to leverage loopholes. This can create a sense of anger and injustice. They might be frustrated if they perceive that their tax dollars are being wasted or mismanaged by the government. This could especially sting if they’re struggling to maintain their business while seeing potential misuse of public funds. High taxes could be preventing them from hiring more employees or investing in business growth. They might lie awake at night worrying about how to expand their team or operations in the face of excessive taxation. Generate titles for 10 blog posts that will educate my avatar about tax policy and how it can impact their business.
- “Understanding the Impact of Tax Policy on Small Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide”
- “Tax Code Demystified: Navigating Your Way Through Tax Compliance as a Small Business Owner”
- “The Effect of High Taxation on Small Businesses: Hindrance or Opportunity?”
- “Tax Loopholes: Are Big Corporations Really at an Advantage?”
- “How to Reinvest in Your Business Despite High Taxation: Creative Strategies for Small Businesses”
- “A Closer Look at Government Spending: How Your Tax Dollars Are Used and Misused”
- “The Burden of Taxation: Addressing the Stress and Uncertainty in Running a Small Business”
- “Tax Planning for Small Businesses: Minimizing Your Burden and Maximizing Your Profit”
- “Unlocking Business Growth: How to Hire and Expand Despite High Taxes”
- “The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Advocating for Fairer Tax Policies”
It’s important to note that some of the ideas ChatGPT suggested are probably best left to subject matter experts. But several titles on that list could be great blog posts and/or videos for a political candidate.
Explore Audience Triggers
Once you’ve identified your avatar (the right person), ChatGPT can help you craft the right message. This requires some exploration to identify their goals and values as well as their challenges so that you can employ the Human Action Model for persuasion.
First, what are my avatar’s goals and values? What are their hopes and dreams? Who or what do they aspire to be? Be as specific, tangible, and concrete as possible.
- Economic Independence: Your avatar values the independence and self-reliance that comes from owning a small business. They appreciate the freedom to make their own decisions and set their own course. They dream of growing their business steadily while maintaining this autonomy.
- Community Contribution: Small business owners often aspire to make a positive impact in their community. They hope their business can provide good jobs, support local suppliers, and offer valuable products or services to their neighbors.
- Financial Security: They are striving to secure a comfortable lifestyle for their family. They hope to build a financially stable future, potentially including sending their children to college, owning a home, or securing a comfortable retirement.
- Legacy Building: They aspire to build something lasting and significant, a business that could perhaps be passed down through generations. This aspiration goes beyond financial success – they want to leave a mark on their community and create something that outlives them.
- Innovation and Growth: They dream of being recognized as a leader in their field. They value innovation and continuous improvement, and they aspire to grow their business beyond its current boundaries, perhaps by expanding to new locations or launching new product lines.
Craft Persuasive Messaging
ChatGPT understands existing business and marketing frameworks. You can use them to help craft persuasive messaging like titles or email subject lines. In this example, I provided a detailed avatar and asked ChatGPT to use the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) model.
Imagine you’re an expert at using AI to solve digital marketing problems. Create a webinar outline for teaching political activists running for office how use AI in their campaign. My avatar is a community organizer working on a local political campaign who wants to learn how to use digital tools to engage with voters and build support for their cause who struggles with this problem and isn’t sure where to begin. The specific subset of the market I’m interested in is digital advocacy for local politics. The webinar content should assume that attendees have no experience with AI and might be afraid of technology. Please brainstorm 10 possible titles and descriptions for the webinar using the AIDA model. They should appeal to political activists who want to save time and become more efficient with campaign funds.
1. Title: “Revolutionize Your Campaign: Unleashing the Power of AI”
- Description: Attract your voters with a smarter approach. Discover how AI can maximize your campaign’s efficiency, save time, and optimize your budget. Don’t miss our webinar where we’ll demystify AI and show you how it can propel your political activism to new heights!
2. Title: “Winning Strategies: AI in Modern Political Campaigns”
- Description: Want to run an efficient campaign? Learn how AI can transform your strategy, save valuable time, and make every dollar count. Join us for a practical guide on leveraging AI in local politics, designed specifically for political activists.
3. Title: “Smarter Campaigns: Harnessing AI for Local Political Success”
- Description: Supercharge your local campaign with AI. This webinar will guide you on how to use AI to streamline your campaign processes, boost efficiency, and get the most out of your budget. Step into the future of political activism with us!
4. Title: “The Future of Campaigning: Embracing AI for Local Politics”
- Description: Make your campaign future-ready! Learn how AI can be your secret weapon to manage resources efficiently, engage voters, and save precious time. Join us for an in-depth look at the power of AI in political activism.
5. Title: “AI Demystified: A Game-Changer for Political Activists”
- Description: Wondering how AI can revolutionize your campaign strategy? Join our webinar to discover how AI can help you maximize campaign funds, save time, and engage voters effectively. Transform your political activism with AI!
6. Title: “Mastering AI: The New Pathway for Efficient Political Campaigns”
- Description: Time and budget are crucial in politics. Discover how AI can help you manage both effectively. Join us as we unveil AI’s potential in local politics and show you how to incorporate it into your campaign strategy.
7. Title: “AI in Action: Streamlining Your Local Political Campaign”
- Description: Want to run a more efficient campaign? AI could be the answer. Learn how to leverage AI to optimize your campaign resources, save time, and win voters. Join us for this practical and eye-opening webinar.
8. Title: “Leading with AI: Transforming Local Political Campaigns”
- Description: Learn to lead with AI and transform your campaign strategy. Discover how AI can help optimize your campaign, save time, and make your funds work harder for you. Step into the future of political activism today!
9. Title: “Campaigning Smarter: AI for Modern Political Activists”
- Description: It’s time to campaign smarter, not harder. Learn how AI can help you optimize resources, save time, and enhance your campaign’s effectiveness. Join our webinar to uncover the potential of AI in local politics.
10. Title: “Unleashing AI: Your Key to Efficient Political Campaigning”
- Description: Unlock the potential of AI in your local political campaign. Learn how to use AI to streamline processes, engage voters effectively, and make every dollar count. Join us to take your political activism to the next level!
Advanced Applications of ChatGPT
There are an infinite number of uses for ChatGPT. The ones we’ve covered so far are straightforward enough for anyone to use with a free account. The following digital activism applications are more advanced and require some more advanced subject matter expertise and/or code-writing.
- Landing page optimization
- Search engine optimization
- Campaign planning and budgeting
- Opponent research
- Sentiment analysis
- Predictive analytics
- Chatbots for voter engagement
- Optimized resource allocation
How NOT to Use ChatGPT for Digital Activism
All generative AI systems have their shortcomings. They’re great for assisting with ideation and processing content. But they have been known to play very loose with facts. Lawyers have found out the hard way that ChatGPT has an annoying habit of simply hallucinating facts. It’s great at telling stories and loves to do so. Therefore, if you’re asking for information, always be sure to fact-check the output. While it’s useful for analyzing legislation, I wouldn’t trust it to write legislation just yet.
Also, note that ChatGPT version 3.5’s training dataset stopped in 2021. If you ask it for information about events that happened after then, it either won’t know or will make it up. As of a few weeks ago, version 4 can access the internet and, therefore, access more recent information.