When ChatGPT Writes Bios for People, They're Littered With Fabrications (Futurism)

[highplainsdem]

https://futurism.com/chatgpt-bios-littered-with-fabrications

Need some help fluffing your bio? Just ask ChatGPT what you've accomplished, and you'll be good to go. Seriously. The OpenAI-built chatbot will have you receiving prestigious awards, teaching at esteemed universities, writing bestselling novels, and more — even if those accolades are completely nonexistent.

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Indeed, when other Futurism employees asked the AI to write a bio, theirs were similarly littered with incorrect information. The author of this piece, Maggie Harrison, apparently studied "physics and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)," has written "several influential books," and was even named one of Forbes' yearly "30 under 30" winners. (We can sadly confirm that none of this is true.)

But the chatbot's penchant for resume embellishment doesn't just apply to Futurism employees. When Gary N. Smith, an economist and Pomona College professor who recently co-wrote an essay for Salon arguing that generative AI is doomed to be an economic bubble, asked ChatGPT to write a bio for him, the bot only got one thing right: the fact that he was a professor at Pomona College.

The rest of the AI-generated bio, however, despite sounding really nice — according to ChatGPT, Smith has "served as a consultant to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Development Program" and has been "awarded numerous honors for his work in economics, including the Founder's Award from the Claremont Graduate University in 2010" — was, according to Smith, entirely fabricated. The same goes for a growing number of netizens, some of whom have taken to Twitter to lampoon ChatGPT for their made-up life stories.

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[dalton99a]

1. George Santos should use this tool to improve his productivity

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Just think of the possibilities...

Sen. Santos…President Santos…World Führer Santos…could there be more? Galactic Emperor, perhaps?

It’s easy.

[highplainsdem]

2. Tweet the article links to that has another example:

Link to tweet

Bill Murphy Jr.
@BillMurphyJr

I asked ChatGPT to write a short bio of @billmurphyjr (aka, me)

Apparently I:
* went to @BrownUniversity* & @MITSloan*
* worked in investment banking* & management consulting*
* wrote a book about medical breakthroughs*
(*not true)

When challenged it insisted it was correct.

[progree]

4. Well darn. The last screen - it won't / can't show sources. I had hoped that chatGPT

would be genearlly somewhat accurate, but with mistakes, but would cite sources (like Wikipedia) and a list of sources like that would be invaluable in a research project. That it could serve as a first draft for digging into and verifying things.

But instead, it's just a bunch of crap with almost nothing even remotely worthwhile (and most not true). With the only source being its "existing knowledge and training", sigh.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. No, it doesn't use sources to find facts. It puts words together in a very typical order

and so what comes out sounds believable, but is in no way designed to be an attempt to show "facts". It is a Large Language Model. That may work out OK for something like "what is price elasticity?", when there are many economics works in its language base (but it doesn't use internet search engines, it's more like "published works" ), but for things about people which have a few sources that are right or not, it's just not the right approach.

[PostTruth]

3. Scary

The scary side of tech.

[John Ludi]

6. Hahahaha...posted the following on my social media spots:

"ChatGPT gets it wrong...very wrong.

ME: What do you know about John Ludi, the musician?

ChatGPT: I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I don't have access to information about every person or topic in the world, and I don't have the ability to browse the internet. However, I can tell you that John Ludi is a musician and performer based in New York City. He has released several albums and singles, and his music is often described as eclectic, blending elements of rock, electronic, and experimental music. Ludi has also been involved in theater and performance art, and has collaborated with various artists and musicians throughout his career.

Regeneration 1

Chat GPT: As an AI language model, I have access to information about John Ludi, the musician. John Ludi is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer who is based in Los Angeles, California. He has released several albums and singles over the years, and his music has been described as a mix of electronic, rock, and pop.

John Ludi began his music career in the 1980s, and he has been active in the industry ever since. He has worked with a variety of artists, including Madonna, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson, and he has also collaborated with other musicians on various projects.

Some of John Ludi's most well-known songs include "Electricity", "Bittersweet", and "Staring at the Sun". He has also produced music for film and television, including the theme music for the popular reality TV show "Survivor".

In addition to his music career, John Ludi has also been involved in various other creative endeavors, including film and video production. He is known for his innovative and experimental approach to music and art, and he continues to be an influential figure in the music industry.

(It got SOME things right:

"In addition to his music career, John Ludi has also been involved in various other creative endeavors, including film and video production. He is known for his innovative and experimental approach to music and art"

"He has released several albums and singles, and his music is often described as eclectic, blending elements of rock, electronic, and experimental music. Ludi has also been involved in theater and performance art, and has collaborated with various artists and musicians throughout his career." )

Interesting..."

[Brenda]

7. So, one more chatbot that spreads fake news.

These are all useless except for the danger lurking...terminator/cyborg stuff. How can they stop them?