I received an application that literally could have been written to apply for any sit anywhere. It starts “Dear (pets names)” and just goes on at length to discuss how she’ll do everything they need, keep the house tidy, do any watering necessary, etc., etc., etc. Multiple paragraphs, but not one word that responds to anything in my listing. It literally could have been created on ChatGPI with the prompt, “Write an application for a house sitting job that discusses how much I love animals and how well I’ll care for the home, pets, and plants”, and in fact I sort of wonder if that is what I’m seeing.
I’ve declined because of it, as it gave me a creepy feeling. But I was curious whether anyone else has experienced this?
I had the same feeling about an application a couple of months back. They sent a very long and unspecific application. At first, I was surprised someone had taken the time to write such a long message. But then It just felt like they were saying that they would do every single thing I had listed in the profile.
ChatGPT can be a useful tool, but you have to add some human experience to an AI-generated text or it feels off. Or you can tell it to shorten the text
Because, honestly, if I am supposed to read a long text there had better be some personal stuff in there. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of my time.
I declined the application because it didn’t feel right (and I had better ones).
Yes, it was the length of the application despite containing not one single thing customized to our sit that made me wonder about artificial intelligence. I looked through the applicant’s reviews a bit and a previous HO mentioned the sitter had texted them a “self-assessment” justifying the sitter’s request for a 5-star review and suggested the HO use ChatGPT to create the review.
I haven’t gotten THAT application, but it doesn’t surprise me. And I’m sure it was exactly what you thought it was. I have gotten other “canned” responses however where people included irrelevant information – a lot about their size and physical abilities for an indoor cat sit – and very little beyond a first line fill in the names of pets that showed even a glance at the actual listing.
I am a sitter and not condoning this type of application.
Rather than a bot I think it is more likely that many sitters now have a ‘ready to go’ generic application to enable them to respond quickly to a listing.
Since the 5 application rule was introduced sitters found a work around and sent a very brief application to hold their place and open up a dialogue with the homeowner. They would then hopefully send a more detailed application.
It now appears that the system has been set up so an application needs to meet an unspecified number of characters. Not ideal but we have to work with what we have been presented with. Very frustrating for homeowners and sitters alike.
I would imagine it is a cut and paste, perhaps AI created, maybe not. As a sitter, especially when applying for lots of sits it is useful to have a template application to start with. I have a template that i customize for each sit, making sure to adress the things that appear to be important to the HO.
Honestly, as a pet parent id pass on an application that reads like a canned app. It takes a lot of time to write a thoughtful application but taking care of pets is a big responsibility that takes time too.
I think you have your answer.
Also worthy of declining a sitter who implies “you’re not smart enough to write a proper review of me so get some AI help“.
No one is hanging onto the past more than me but I think we all have to accept that GPT created writing is most probably the future, I’m not sure why anyone would think it was creepy.
Even I use technology with my applications to quickly cut and paste or check spelling and grammar , this would have been unheard of not so many years ago.
Its a constant struggle to keep up with ever changing technology , but we have to, or risk getting left behind!
I think it’s creepy because the person isn’t telling me about themselves and how they’ll interact with me, my home, my pets, my garden. They’ve had ChatGPT do that for them. ChatGPT doesn’t know them and doesn’t know anything about me or my needs.
This isn’t “Write a memo telling employees we’re having a company potluck picnic on the 8th at Carillon Park, soft drinks, plates, napkins, utensils provided.” It’s “Trust me with your home and animals.” If you can’t do that yourself, if you really think ChatGPT can do it better…nah. You aren’t the house sitter for me.
That’s kind of my gripe with AI in the first place; that it’s completely soulless and thus creepy AF. Is our species becoming so dumbed down that we are not capable of the thought process required to write basic communications anymore?
As someone who gets paid to write things, I make notes, compose, edit, proofread, proofread again … and seeing AI churn out generic paragraphs of word salad that say nothing of substance grinds my gears. ….That’s a rant for another place….
I mean, I have a basic intro that I will paste into an application, but I always personalize it with comments about their location, why I’m interested, and mention their pets.
I understood that you’d already declined; I was just thinking that even without the bot application the “review suggestion“ would be another reason to decline.
