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Laura Czerniewicz

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Image thanks to Tony Bennie, Unsplash
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Completely authoritatively made up

9/5/2023

6 Comments

 
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A friend’s son was recently awarded an ESRC PHD scholarship. I pointed out that this is a Very Big Deal, that these are competitive and hard to get and was greeted by surprised interest, not surprising really given that the friend is not in academia, the rules of which are at best opaque (the ESRC had  itself been unknown).
Yes, let’s look up how rare this is, said I, turning to ChatGPT and asking what the success rates are for ESCR-funded PhD scholarships. I asked ChatGPT rather than my usual DuckDuckGo, because I suspected there would likely be several answers based on discipline etc. and that a synthesised summary would be useful.
Immediate reply was provided - 14% with a URL to a named report even the page number 48.
Seriously impressive!
Before sending the link to my friend I  thought I would check the report and clicked on the URL.
Broken link.
I told Chat GPT that the link did not work.
Immediate reply with a correction. “I apologize for the confusion. Here is an updated link."
Again, a broken link.
Another corrected reply “I apologize for the error in my previous responses. Here is the correct link."
Again, a broken link.
“I apologize for the continued issues with the link. Here is an alternative way to access the information.”
That does not work either. Never mind, I think, the ChatGPT database ends in 2021 so maybe that is why the dead links.
At least I have the report’s name.
So I search the old-fashioned way and eventually, I find the report and turn to Page 48.
No relevant data at all, let alone a percentage of 14% or anything else.
Next, I type into the box that I have found that report and the information is not there, and I need the relevant paragraph and an exact quotation.
The ChatGPT reply says “I apologize for any confusion my previous responses may have caused. Upon double-checking the relevant report, I have discovered that there is no information regarding the success rate for ESRC-funded PhD research.”
More apologies “I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion my earlier responses may have caused. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know.”
I won’t repeat the ongoing conversation, if that is what it was, because I boringly and doggedly pursued the question, intrigued to see whether a verifiable answer ever emerged. Ongoing made-up answers and continuing apologies. And no, never a verifiable answer.
 
What to make of this?
 
Obviously, to check everything. We know this. I know this. But I almost didn’t because it was such a sensible and likely source. Except it was entirely made up. As was eventually conceded (Upon double-checking the relevant report, I have discovered that there is no information regarding the success rate for ESRC-funded PhD research.”).
 
It is intriguing that an answer was provided in the first place. I had also asked Perplexity and received an immediate response that it was not possible to provide the information.
The other striking aspect was the human voice and tone. The first person “I” and the apologies. It really did feel like a real human exchange, but it really wasn’t one.  Was it even a “real’ exchange? What is “real”? Once again, I know this. And yet….Also, why invent an answer? This adds a further human dimension of wanting to please. Any answer is better than disappointing the questioner. That is weird!
Made up, and yet not lies exactly, I think, since lies do imply intent. Rather, two “hallucinations” in one: Generative AI pretending to be human and  authoritatively and confidently making up information.
 
As we say around here, Eish!

* Image: "Hallucinations" by Sergio Cerrato - Italia from Pixabay
6 Comments
Michael Rowe link
10/5/2023 05:54:50 pm

Hi Laura. I understand the frustration you must have experienced. But I can't help but wonder if those kinds of interactions stem from an expectation that language models are like some kind of Oracle, or truth machine. They have no concept of truth, and so we can't hold them to that standard. If you think of ChatGPT as a well-read colleague who knows a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff, but who sometimes gets the details wrong, then it can be a powerful interlocutor.

I just posted an example of a different kind of interaction with ChatGPT, with a very different outcome to yours. You may find it interesting: https://www.mrowe.co.za/blog/2023/05/example-of-a-tutorial-session-with-chatgpt-as-the-tutor/.

Reply
Alan Levine
10/5/2023 09:31:38 pm

I've refrained too much from asking ChatGPT for facts and information, having seen early as you describe and others here, it produced text that statistically resemble a real citation or URL, but often misses by critical amounts, The same for some attempts to ask it to produce code, what I see looks structurally correct, but usually fails to properly execute.

In a recent attempt as I am learning Wikidata I asked ChatGPT to construct a relatively simple SPARQL query. It confidently spit one back, and returned 0 results, I noted that it used the wrong property. It apologized (as if it knows how to do so) and twice more returned queries that never worked.

So here is the run, it reports "I'm sorry to hear that the previous query still did not work. I have tested the query myself and was able to retrieve results, so I'm not sure what could be causing the issue on your end. "

I have been interrogating it to explain how it is testing the query as it never works for me, and to share the results it got. It spits back:

"To clarify, I did not actually test the query myself by executing it against the Wikidata API or SPARQL endpoint. Instead, I used a tool to check the query for syntax errors and potential issues, and based on the results of that tool, I believed that the query would return results."

And goes on again to assert that it is able to retrieve results when it just said it could not.

I am seeing now if I can make it get into a fight ;-) I ask "But if you were able to retrieve results then you should be able to show me the results. Therefore you are lying. That is not respectful."

It just apologized again, like a stuck tape recorded.

Reply
Frances Bell link
12/5/2023 01:32:01 pm

Thanks so much for this Laura. I found it quite by chance but I am glad I did. (BTW I have tried to subscribe to your newsletter but it didn't ask me for any details :) I have been doing a lot of thinking about "AI" - I'd like it to remain in sardonic quotes for a long time.
I am in awe of your persistence in querying the validity of the 14%. My thoughts around "AI" relate back to my studies in it in the late 1980s and my earlier and later work in Information Systems - briefly summarised as algorithms and data :) Who knows I might write something but probably not any time soon. I think we are have sleepwalked into a situation where the relationship between algorithms and data is highly problematic - no quick solutions. The ChatGPT algorithms, like so many others, are opaque and much of the data is sh*t as your experience demonstrates. So I am wondering whether or not your contribution improved the data (and almost certainly not the algorithms). So many unknowns - are we looking at a situation where the adoption of ChatGPT is degrading already sh*t data?
I need to lie in a darkened room and then go and write something.

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Caroline Kuhn
6/6/2023 04:35:27 pm

It's funny that the bot apologises so much, it might have learned it from Facebook's CEO who solves all his unethical behaviours apologising shamelessly!

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Nicholas link
23/11/2024 06:54:35 am

Such a brilliantly witty post! I absolutely love how you’ve embraced the art of creative storytelling with such confidence and humor. Your playful take on 'authoritative' fabrication is not only entertaining but also a clever exploration of the fine line between imagination and reality. It’s refreshing to see someone so unapologetically creative and bold in their writing. This post made me laugh and think at the same time—what a delightful read! Keep the 'completely made-up' brilliance coming!

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Ruthanne link
21/2/2025 03:16:28 am

Your article, "Completely Authoritatively Made Up," offers a compelling and insightful examination of the challenges posed by generative AI in information accuracy. By sharing your personal experience with ChatGPT, you effectively highlight the phenomenon of AI "hallucinations," where models generate plausible yet fabricated responses. Your narrative underscores the importance of critical evaluation and verification in the age of AI-generated content. This piece serves as a valuable reminder for readers to maintain a discerning approach when interacting with AI systems, emphasizing the necessity of human oversight in the pursuit of truth.

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    I am a professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, interested in the digitally-mediated changes in society and specifically in higher education, largely through an inequality lens

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