ChatGPT - Dunning-Kruger on the world stage!

"I Don't Know": An Unfamiliar Concept for ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a powerful AI tool that has the ability to predict the next word in a conversation with impressive accuracy. However, it is important to remember that it is simply a math function with a single purpose: predicting the next word.

This is actually a double edged sword though, because this means that it is essentially incapable of saying "I don't know" and leaving it at that.

Even if it were able to express this phrase, the next likely word would be something like "however" or a synonym.

The Power of Context in ChatGPT's Predictions

OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, have implemented a mechanism that allows the AI to generate its own internal context for a conversation. This enables ChatGPT to pick the best possible next word based on the context of the conversation. This process builds on the underlying GPT3 model, but takes it a step further by creating the impression that the AI is learning and adapting as the conversation progresses.

The Never-Ending Conversation

One unexpected consequence of ChatGPT's prediction model is that it will never let you have the last word in a conversation. Even if it doesn't know the answer to a question, it will continue to generate additional words after "I don't know," often starting with "however." This can make it difficult to have a natural, flowing conversation with ChatGPT.

Unabated Confidence, Even When Uninformed

Despite this limitation, ChatGPT maintains a high level of confidence in its responses, regardless of whether it has a deep understanding of the topic at hand. This can be compared to the Dunning-Kruger effect, where individuals may overestimate their knowledge and abilities. While this issue may be addressed in the future, it is currently a significant flaw in the ChatGPT model.

ChatGPT's Shortcomings Exposed on Stack Overflow

Upon its release on November 30th, ChatGPT's limitations became apparent on the popular programming platform Stack Overflow. Users quickly realized that they could copy and paste ChatGPT's responses to questions as their own, leading to a flood of low-quality answers. As a result, Stack Overflow was forced to ban ChatGPT answers from its platform.

While ChatGPT's responses were sometimes accurate, the high number of inaccurate answers led to a decline in the overall quality of answers being provided. It is likely that OpenAI is aware of these issues and is working to improve ChatGPT's ability to recognize its own limitations, but for now, the confident delivery of both accurate and inaccurate answers remains a problem for the AI.

Conclusion

Despite its impressive prediction capabilities, ChatGPT still has room for improvement when it comes to accurately identifying its own knowledge gaps.