That new AI sensation, ChatGPT, is exciting the tech community and scaring everybody else, so I decided to take a closer look at it.
My intent was to see how up-to-date its content-scraping capacity is at present and the answer became obvious rather quickly.
When I asked the app to write a report on the status of Afghan women, it stated that “Afghan women have faced many challenges throughout the country's history, but they have made significant strides in recent years.” No mention at all of highly publicized moves by the Taliban to virtually ban women from all roles in public life, including jobs or the ability to get an education.
This was a bit perplexing, so I asked the app to produce a current “top news stories” report. Here is how it responded:
“I am sorry, I am a language model and I don't have access to the current news stories. My knowledge cut off is 2021, I can give you information about the events that happened before that date. Can I help you with anything else?”
So there you have one key weakness of the app. In case any teachers out there are worried about students using ChatGPT to “write” essays, I suggest including a recent news hook as part of the assignment. At least for now, the app’s essay writing tool won’t be able to access any updates from the past couple years.
To confirm this assumption, I asked the app about the late Queen Elizabeth. Here is what it reported back:
“Queen Elizabeth II's reign began on February 6, 1952 and is currently ongoing. She is the longest-reigning current monarch in the world, having surpassed the previous record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria…”
Actually, as anyone not hiding in Tora Bora knows, the queen passed away last September 8th.
Even a cheating student would catch that one, presumably, so requiring more subtle news updates in your assignment is advisable.
The concerns over cheating aside, I’m sure there are many creative uses of AI in a classroom setting, and maybe even for journalsts. I’ll try to look into that in a future column.
LINKS:
ChatGPT isn’t coming. It’s here (CNN)
How ChatGPT Will Destabilize White-Collar Work (Atlantic)
Google called on cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in ChatGPT fightback after issuing a 'code red', report says (Business Insider)
Google is freaking out about ChatGPT (The Verge)
A College Student Created an App to Detect If Essays Were Written by ChatGPT (Gizmodo)
How to Detect OpenAI’s ChatGPT Output (Medium)
10 killed in mass shooting in Monterey Park dance studio (LAT)
Ukraine war: Zelensky adviser says West’s 'indecision' is killing Ukrainians (BBC)
Russia has amassed a shadow fleet to ship its oil around sanctions (NPR)
US designates Russian Wagner mercenary force a crime organisation (Al Jazeera)
Months after Russian invasion, Meta is tweaking its content policies (WP)
Yellen warns of ‘global financial crisis’ if US debt limit agreement isn’t reached (CNN)
McCarthy tries to get out of his box on debt ceiling (The Hill)
In conservative states, abortion opponents push back on Republicans (Politico)
How much ad money did Elon Musk chase away? Spending among Twitter’s top 30 advertisers fell 42% to an estimated $53.8 million for November and December after Elon Musk bought the social-media platform, according to a report that research firm Pathmatics. (Reuters)
Elon Musk takes witness stand to defend Tesla buyout tweets (AP)
Google employees scramble for answers after layoffs hit long-tenured and recently promoted employees (CNBC)
Tech Layoffs Shock Young Workers. The Older People? Not So Much. (NYT)
What the Tech and Media Layoffs Are Really Telling Us About the Economy (Atlantic)
The price of eggs is up an astounding amount, and while the top U.S. producer says it’s because avian flu decreased supply, a farm group urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the possibility of price gouging. (Reuters)
Inside the Supreme Court Inquiry: Seized Phones, Affidavits and Distrust (NYT)
Elizabeth Holmes made an ‘attempt to flee the country’ after her conviction, prosecutors say (CNN)
Protests in Stockholm, including Koran-burning, draw strong condemnation from Turkey (Reuters)
Afghan girls and women made focus of International Education Day (UNESCO)
‘Better than finding gold’: towers’ remains may rewrite history of English civil war (Guardian)
When scientists tagged a curious seal, he led them to signs of a potential climate disaster (WP)
America Forgot the 1918 Flu. Will We Also Forget Covid? (WSJ)
Chicago Field Museum Director Uses Titanosaur Skull To Hold Parking Space In Snow (The Onion)
LYRICS:
“Braille”
Written by Lisa Margaret Hannigan
For you, I leave my light on
To do its best against the storm.
And you came in like the tide and
I knew that we could keep each other warm.
You bring crocosmia and fuschias,
And I, I sing your name into the night.
A king of salt and stones, your compass,
It swings from you to me tonight.
We'll swim without a word between us,
Our breath held in.
We reel in love in the ocean,
Braille on our skin, on our skin
I fill a glass with what you've gathered
They wilt against the window pane
In the morning sees you off with nets to scatter
You will come in with the tide again
We swim without a word between us
Our breath held in
We read enough in the rush of
Braille on our skin, on our skin
We swim without a word between us,
Our breath held in.
We read enough in the rush of
Braille on our skin, on our skin.
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