ChatGPT’s Year-In-Review

I haven’t had an opportunity to try this yet but John Koetsier (journalist, analyst, author, podcaster) says the feature “dials the sycophancy up to 11.” (article behind paywall)

“…it seems designed to make you feel good about yourself. Really good. Apparently I’m pretty awesome. Just so you know.

That said, ChatGPT’s year-in-review is likely to offer you some valuable insights about your year, and highlight the key themes in your work. […] You’ll also get some cool stats about your usage of ChatGPT.”

I’ll update this post once I’ve seen my year-in-review. And I plan to ask for a very snarky tone. Here’s what ChatGPT promised:

For yours? Grade A snark is doable — and honestly more accurate. A useful year-in-review shouldn’t sound like a Hallmark card. It should sound like a smart friend who’s been quietly watching you pace the room for twelve months and finally says: “Okay, here’s what you actually did, not what you think you did.” More Lewis Black footnote, less LinkedIn influencer.

If the official version turns out to be syrupy, think of it as raw data. We can do the director’s cut afterward — annotated, skeptical, and with the ego-padding ruthlessly stripped out. You won’t hurt my feelings by insisting on that. In fact, it’s a relief.