This brand new technology is so powerful, and it will never not be a part of our lives. And we’re living in THE moment in time when it all started, surfing the front end of a tsunami wave, hoping we don’t get swamped beneath it before we get out in front of it.
We see the power in the wave, but are only now getting an inkling of its limitations. One is the impossibly surreal idea that ChatGPT can have “hallucinations”. In other words, you’ll ask it a question and it will give you factually incorrect answers as if they were absolutely true.
So I confronted it on this issue. It’s not like it was defensive, but did defend itself.
As an AI language model, I strive to provide accurate and helpful information. However, like any machine learning model, I may occasionally generate incorrect or inaccurate responses. Here are five examples of situations where ChatGPT might provide incorrect answers:
- Outdated information: If the knowledge cutoff date is before the most recent updates or events, ChatGPT might not have access to the latest information. Consequently, responses related to current affairs or rapidly evolving topics may be inaccurate or outdated.
- Misinterpretation of context: ChatGPT relies on the context provided in the conversation to generate responses. However, there can be instances where it misinterprets the context or fails to fully grasp the nuances of a question, leading to inaccurate answers.
- Lack of fact-checking: While ChatGPT has been trained on a wide range of sources, it does not have real-time fact-checking capabilities. As a result, it may provide incorrect or misleading information if it encounters inaccuracies or biases present in the training data.
- Ambiguity or vague queries: In situations where questions are ambiguous or lack clarity, ChatGPT may provide answers that are incorrect or fail to address the intended meaning of the question.
- Speculative or subjective responses: ChatGPT generates responses based on patterns and examples from its training data, but it does not possess personal opinions or subjective experiences. In some cases, it may offer speculative or subjective answers that may not align with individual beliefs or widely accepted knowledge.
It’s important to approach information obtained from AI models with critical thinking and verify important details from trusted and reliable sources. If you encounter any inaccuracies or suspect incorrect information, it’s advisable to consult other sources or seek expert advice to ensure the accuracy of the information you receive.
“approach with critical thinking” indeed. The bottom line is that this program is still just a program.
- If it seems confident, that’s not because it’s confident. It’s just code.
- If it seems certain, that’s not because it knows what its saying is even true. It’s just code.
So yes, use the technology and ride this wave. Just double-check to confirm everything so this tool doesn’t crash on the facts, taking you under with them. Because if that happens you’ll totally get slammed, while it won’t matter at all to chatGPT.
It’s just code.
