Why Chat GPT Will Not Solve Your Problems: Discover the Missing Element in Artificial Intelligence Problem Solving.

This is not, I repeat, not a blog written by Chat GPT, and when you read on, you will understand why you need to know this.

I work in the field of dispute resolution (mediation and negotiation). So, my average day is filled with all manner of problems, from warring neighbours and disgruntled employees and bosses to desperate business owners attempting to close deals. Or sometimes people who just want to know how to get the best out of a mediation or a negotiation they are currently within. Basically, I help people solve their business, work, and relationship problems.

Now, the reason I am writing this blog is that I recently had a phone call from a client who wanted advice from me on how to approach someone with whom they wanted to mediate. When I spoke with them, they told me that they had asked Chat GPT for the best solution to go about this, but it did not help! I was less surprised by this strategy than I thought I would be, as we live in a world where people will use TikTok as a search engine to check facts and Facebook to receive news. But, while social media and AI are becoming a more integrated part of our lives, artificial intelligence is still missing the most vital component to problem-solving.

In the last few months, it has become so easy to enter a line of text into Chat GPT or any of the other AI bots to find a solution to our problems and get an instant answer. However, when it comes to problem-solving with AI, what you will find is the most important element in all problem-solving issues cannot be met: humanity! As humans, every single one of us is driven by our emotions. We all carry fears, hopes, dreams, desires, and anxieties that dictate our actions and hold the solution to all our problems. Now, to date, I have not heard of an AI bot that really understands or can support the human condition or its need to talk to someone who not only understands what it is to have emotions but also cares about our outcomes, both practical and emotional.

As I discussed the case with my client further, I discovered that the issue was between two former business partners who were related (although quite distantly) and had fallen out over money. This had the added problem that they both kept turning up to the same family gatherings, which was starting to affect them and their loved ones. Now, to be fair, AI did advise talking to the other person, and it made a valiant effort to explain that listening and empathising would also help. But as I listened to the person on the other end of the phone, you could tell there was real hurt in their voice, and the important thing about resolving the issues to them was not just money but also a chance to talk to their former partner, be heard, and then either repair the relationship or move on and let go. As we spoke further, it was also clear that there was a greater issue that AI did not understand, and that was: How to overcome the emotional barriers of both sides of the argument, which, after talking with them, would need to be resolved first before they would sit and talk about their business interests. Now, I am fortunate as within my years of conflict resolution and negotiation, I always work with people to help them overcome any emotional issues. I have also seen countless times that until the emotional elements that lie at the heart of all disputes are met, your negotiations or mediations are going nowhere.

This was reinforced when I met with a trusted friend and fellow mediator for coffee the other day and discussed some of our work within the world of business, gang, street, and community mediation. As we chatted, we were both fascinated to discover that we both used the same approach to street and gang mediation as we did to work and business negotiation. We have both found that it was only when emotional and trust-based influence were built and relationships with each other and sometimes themselves were healed, that disputes and problems were resolved. From corporate business deals on the verge of collapse to the most hardened people in the most entrenched and embittered street negotiations, vendettas and deals alike were resolved by opening both sides up to the emotional content and allowing them to seek a more peaceful and productive solution.

So take a minute and stop and consider what the real issues are before you hit the keyboards and open AI apps for computer generated solutions to emotionally based problems. Let us not be too proud to admit that we all get stuck within our work and business lives and are unsure which way to turn or what to do next, often a chat with another person who understands people is what is needed to find the solution, especially as AI cannot solve all our problems, well not just yet!

Jason Edwards

Email me
Call: 07919102191
Website: Vantage Mediation