I have a confession to make.
I'm a closet Luddite. As the Automotive News retail technology reporter, that's a contradiction, to say the least.
I miss typewriters and their melodic, clacking keystroke sounds. Stubbornly, I avoided buying a cellphone until I turned 40. I only text sporadically and still prefer to call people.
To be sure, I'm passable at using a personal computer. As a veteran online journalist and former editor, I've learned how to operate online publishing programs and Internet phones. Through my years covering technology and innovation in various business sectors, I've embraced learning about what technology can accomplish, even as I minimize my use of it at home.
For a Luddite like me, technology can still be eminently interesting, which is why I am intrigued by ChatGPT and its potential impact on retail auto technology and dealership customers.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, and it has generated plenty of attention in recent months as users experiment with it to write letters, screenplays and more. ChatGPT is also increasingly penetrating the auto industry. For example, General Motors in March announced it is exploring the use of ChatGPT in vehicles as part of a broader collaboration with Microsoft. Dealerships are also trying out ChatGPT, using it to create everything from better job postings to detailed electronic conversations with potential customers.
ChatGPT is so sophisticated that customers on the other side of the technology likely will never know or need to know that it is part of their transactions. The only thing they're likely to experience are processes that are easier, quicker, more intimate and more thorough than past practices.
It's exciting, even for a Luddite like me, to watch this evolution.
— Mark Hollmer
