Can ChatGPT write a better cover letter for your job search? See for yourself

The cover letter is its own unique, dreaded genre of writing. In a few — often formulaic — paragraphs, job applicants must accomplish several things: prostrate themselves at the feet of hiring managers, extolling the virtues of whatever company to which they're applying, but also brag about themselves without seeming too, well, braggy.

And after doing all of that work, there's no telling whether a hiring manager will merely skim your letter or closely examine it to gauge your communication chops.

Now, job applicants are utilizing ChatGPT — a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence — to do the heavy lifting. Designed by the startup OpenAI, which released the current version of the technology for public testing in November 2022, ChatGPT has impressed the world with its ability to execute all manner of tasks, including writing a Taylor Swift song from the perspective of a tree and passing exams in (albeit with poor grades).