You should really ChatGPT Yourself - How I Used AI Today
Ask ChatGPT what it can find about yourself and/or your company
TLDR: ChatGPT yourself and your company and you might be surprised by the results.
I was in California this week for some meeting and while preparing for some calls I’ve developed the habit of asking ChatGPT about the people and companies I’m going to be talking to. I realized while I do it all the time, I had never checked on myself.
I remember back in 2012 when I was applying to colleges the teachers at our school were constantly reminding us to make sure we controlled our online presence and googled ourselves to see what came up. They assured us that every college application reviewer would be doing the same and we needed to be ready. We would blurred out any solo cups in FaceBook shared albums and untag ourselves from photos that we were promised would destroy our college chances.
It’s been over a decade since then and there’s a new form of search in these LLM based tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity) and they are becoming the default for search. When these tools first came out there was a lot of handwaving about what they could access, but more and more it’s a restricted view. There are more and more sites the can’t scrape (e.g. LinkedIn). So you might be surprised what if anything the LLMs come back with. Here’s my prompt (if you use a service frequently make sure it doesn’t use it’s memory):
Without using your memory (only online sources) who is Brion Flick?
And here’s the reply:
Brion E. Flick is a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York, specializing in tax preparation and data automation. (PTIN Directory)He has earned badges in Human-Centered Design and Digital Acumen from PwC, demonstrating his expertise in these areas.(Credly, Credly)
In October 2024, he was a speaker at the "Unlock the Potential of AI with Data Automation" webinar, highlighting his involvement in AI and data automation initiatives. (GovEvents)
Additionally, Brion has a YouTube channel featuring a piano cover of "Painting Flowers" by All Time Low, showcasing his interest in music. (YouTube)
Brion's professional background includes assisting taxpayers and small businesses with tax-related matters in the New York area, reflecting his extensive experience as an IRS-registered tax preparer. (PTIN Directory)
Beyond his professional endeavors, Brion's YouTube channel reflects a personal interest in music, adding a creative dimension to his profile. (YouTube)
Overall, Brion E. Flick is a multifaceted professional with expertise in tax preparation, data automation, human-centered design, and digital technologies, complemented by a personal passion for music.
Upon review it’s in the ballpark, but it’s got a lot wrong
It doesn’t know I am no longer at PwC.
It’s just using what it is allowed to scrape from the internet, since it can’t use LinkedIn there’s nowhere else with that update
It found my Youtube channel I used to post a high school assignment from 2012. I honestly didn’t even know that video exists and cannot access that account
It assumed based on having a PTIN and being an IRS Enrolled agent I have experience with tax-related matter sin the New York area for small business and taxpayers, in reality I have some background in corporate tax for large F500 companies.
Takeaway
Ask your preferred LLM or all the LLMs about yourself and about your company. Verify what it returns matches with what you think they should. LLMs are tricky because they don’t follow the same rules as traditional search. There are a lot more restrictions on places they’ll go and information they’ll use.
I’ve started working on my personal websites SEO to make sure going forward it will hopefully return more of the information I was expecting.