5 tips for maximizing AI as a freelance journalist

For the past six months, I’ve occasionally used ChatGPT to help with some freelance work. Mostly, I treat it as a savvy thesaurus, asking things like, “What are some terms that mean ‘naive’ but aren’t condescending?” or, “How else can I say ‘innovation’ or ‘breakthrough’ that don’t overhype a medical advance or rely on cliche?”  The platform has also helped me keep my facts straight. For instance, when I needed to be precise about which GLP-1 medications are approved for diabetes versus obesity and which brand names (e.g. Ozempic, Wegovy) were associated with which active ingredients (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide), ChatGPT almost instantly provided a handy chart.  However, I’ve largely resisted considering how else to use AI as a freelance journalist, since I value the creative and learning processes my brain undergoes while reporting and writing. Plus, ChatGPT has shown me I am better than it at coming up with clever turns of phrase: When I challenged it to brainstorm some puns about running and Taco Bell (for a story about a fast-food-fueled ultramarathon), it churned up cringe-worthy responses like, “Legs say no, but the burrito says go.”  But during October’s Lunch and Learn, my fellow freelancers shared other ways they’re
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