Can I be fired for using ChatGPT?

I had to do some research for my boss and got behind on my job, so I used ChatGPT. Well, somehow she figured that out and fired me for producing fraudulent work. How is this fair or legal?

I asked ChatGPT to write an answer to this question and it came back in the form of an angry post about how tired of being so smart and blamed for everything.

The truth is I’m not quite sure how to answer your question other than the law in most states for most private sector employees says you are employed “at will” – meaning you can be fired for any reason or no reason, or even a stupid reason.

You cannot be fired for a protected reason such as race, religion, age, etc.

I guess your boss didn’t like what ChatGPT came up with, but it’s more likely that the problem is that you lied about where the job came from.

Lying is actually an offense punishable by dismissal for just cause, in which case you may also be denied unemployment benefits, severance pay, etc.

Last week in your column you advised a cashier who was being hit on by a delivery man to talk to him directly to stop. Shouldn’t she go to her boss and ask him to take care of it? Isn’t that putting her in a dangerous position? She does not know this guy, who is not an employee of the company. What if he’s crazy or what?

What do you think is most likely to trigger a negative reaction: Going directly to the person and explaining that the attention, while innocent and flattering, makes them feel uncomfortable and asking nicely to stop, or first report it to someone who might be in trouble?

Unless the behavior or the person is somehow threatening or egregious, reporting an associate to the boss can end the behavior, but it can also lead to a different uncomfortable dynamic.

The best course of action is to try to fix it if you can. And if not, escalate. At least you can tell the person that you tried and they didn’t respond.

Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a human resources manager. Listen to Greg Weds. at 9:35 a.m. on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. Email: GoToGreg@NYPost.com. Follow: GoToGreg.com and on
Twitter: @GregGiangrande