bots can write good essays summary

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• NEWS EXPLAINER
• 09 December 2022

AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays — should professors worry?

• Chris Stokel-Walker

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Between overwork, underpayment and the pressure to publish, academics have plenty to worry about. Now there’s a fresh concern: ChatGPT , an artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot that creates surprisingly intelligent-sounding text in response to user prompts, including homework assignments and exam-style questions. The replies are so lucid, well-researched and decently referenced that some academics are calling the bot the death knell for conventional forms of educational assessment. How worried should professors and lecturers be?

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04397-7

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Minding the Gap

"Bots" Can Write Good Essays, But That Doesn't Make Writing Obsolete

When done well, writing is far more than just a skill that can be bypassed by technology..

Artificial intelligence has spawned a new creation, ChatGPT , that can produce well written essays in the amount of time it takes to sharpen a pencil. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on teaching students how to write.

All you have to do is locate the “chatbot,” type in a prompt, wait perhaps 30 seconds, and voila—you get an essay that, according to one university instructor, is better than what is produced by the average MBA student. Supposedly, each essay is unique—and therefore not detectable as plagiarism.

The tsunami of commentary that has followed the unveiling of ChatGPT has an apocalyptic quality. “The End of High-School English,” proclaims the title of one article in The Atlantic. “The College Essay Is Dead,” mourns another .

Another strain of analysis advises us to look on the possible bright side of this development. Maybe ChatGPT will free teachers and students from the tedium of slogging through conventions like spelling and grammar and enable them to focus on higher-order concerns like the voice, tone, and rhythm of written language. Maybe auto-created writing will generate “critically examined building blocks of essays” that allow students to make more sophisticated arguments.

Maybe. But it’s more likely that students will simply take advantage of an end-run around requirements they see as burdensome and, possibly, meaningless. “I have the knowledge, I have the lived experience,” one student in New Zealand was quoted as saying, in justifying the use of artificial intelligence to write papers. “I’m a good student … but I kind of felt I was being penalized because I don’t write eloquently and I didn’t feel that was right.”

But eloquence isn’t necessarily what’s needed. Most teachers at any level, including college, would settle for clarity and coherence. Anecdotal and empirical evidence indicate that many students struggle to express themselves in writing. The most recent national tests in writing found that only 27% of eighth- and twelfth-graders perform at the proficient level or above.

Writing is more than a skill

If writing were just a skill that is now being rendered obsolete—as some have argued with regard to cursive handwriting—this development might not be so alarming. But writing is far more than that. When done well, it isn’t just a matter of displaying what you already know—although it’s crucial to have some pre-existing knowledge of the topic you’re writing about. The process of writing itself can and should deepen that knowledge and possibly spark new insights. So when students use ChatGPT, they’re not just cheating whatever institution is giving them credit for work they haven’t done. They’re also cheating themselves.

Beyond that, it’s been found that when students write about what they’re studying—in any subject—it boosts their retention of the material. That increases the store of knowledge in their long-term memories, which in turn makes it easier to acquire more knowledge. Knowledge, it’s been said , is like Velcro: it sticks best to other related knowledge.

Explicit writing instruction, beginning at the sentence level, also helps students understand the texts they’re supposed to read. The syntax of written language is more complex than that of spoken language, with constructions like subordinate clauses and the passive voice. Many students don’t just become familiar with that syntax through reading. But when they learn to use those complex constructions in their writing, they’re in a much better position to understand them when they encounter them in text.

All of this is to say that if teachers give up on the idea of teaching or assigning writing, the results could be disastrous. We already have a serious literacy crisis, with some 48 million American adults struggling to read, by one count , and 130 million lacking literacy proficiency, by another . The last thing we need is a development that will make that situation worse.

How to combat ChatGPT

So what are teachers to do? Some have suggested moving to “flipped” classrooms, where students listen to recorded lectures at home and then do “homework,” presumably including writing assignments, in class. Teachers could also have students give oral presentations , which presumably they wouldn’t be able to do if they don’t actually understand the essay they’ve turned in. But having students do all their writing in class would be cumbersome, and oral presentations probably aren’t as powerful a learning tool as a written assignment, especially for ensuring that students become familiar with the complex syntax of written language.

Another possibility is to assign the kind of writing that ChatGPT is unable to do—specifically, writing that takes a position. The bot has been programmed to take definitive stands on a few issues, such as whether vaccines cause autism (no) and whether climate change is real (yes). But when I asked it if Andrew Jackson was a good president, ChatGPT proved wishy-washy.

“The legacy of Andrew Jackson's presidency is a subject of ongoing debate and interpretation,” the essay began. After a review of the major events of his administration, it concluded, “Ultimately, the question of whether Andrew Jackson was a good President is a matter of personal opinion and depends on one's perspective and values.”

In between there was some language that was identical to its response to a previous prompt I had given the bot, asking it to “evaluate” Jackson’s presidency. In both essays, for example, the following sentence appeared verbatim: “This policy, known as the Trail of Tears, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans as they were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands.” So maybe detecting plagiarism won’t be that hard after all.

But the best defense against ChatGPT is to start teaching expository writing, explicitly and beginning at the sentence level, in elementary school. Presumably, kids at that age won’t be using the bot—and if they did, teachers would be able to detect the ruse pretty easily.

You might think elementary schools are already teaching writing. But few teachers have received good training in how to do it, and curricula and materials vastly underestimate how difficult writing is. Even kindergartners are expected to write at length, while they’re still struggling with basics like letter formation and spelling. Little or no effort is usually made to teach kids how to construct sentences . And often students are asked to write on topics they know little about, which simply doesn’t work.

It's still possible, of course, that high school and college students will resort to something like ChatGPT. But if effective writing instruction begins in elementary school, they will have already learned to construct complex sentences and create linear outlines for a paragraph or essay—skills that help with reading comprehension, logical thinking, and learning in general. And should their computers crash, or if they’re the victim of a power outage, they’ll still be able to construct a decent essay.

This post originally appeared on Forbes.com.

Ready for more?

AI bot ChatGPT writes smart essays — should academics worry?

Sandra Wachter

Sandra Wachter , BKC Faculty Associate, discusses ChatGPT and its concerns for academics and education. 

“The situation both worries and excites Sandra Wachter, who studies technology and regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, UK. “I’m really impressed by the capability,” she says. But she’s concerned about the potential effect on human knowledge and ability. If students start to use ChatGPT, they will be outsourcing not only their writing, but also their thinking.

She’s hopeful that education providers will adapt. “Whenever there’s a new technology, there’s a panic around it,” she says. “It’s the responsibility of academics to have a healthy amount of distrust — but I don’t feel like this is an insurmountable challenge.”

Read more in Nature .

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Bot or Not? Ethical Questions on the Use of AI Writing Bots

If you’ve ever been on the wrong end of a customer service call, then you know how frustrating it can be to talk to a robot. Simply giving one’s name can cause a panic over the threat of the dreaded, “Sorry, could you repeat that?”

Currently, it’s pretty easy to tell when you’re conversing with a robot. But what about when it comes to informative writing, like news reporting via articles and social media? Would you trust a robot with your news? And could you even tell a robot writer from a human one?

Several big-name news outlets—like Bloomberg, Forbes, and the Washington Post—have been employing AI writers for years now, which cover less important stories or complete first drafts for journalists.

This 2020 article from the Guardian, written by a robot explaining its peaceful intentions, generated a hefty amount of buzz on social media. Many might have believed it to be the writing of a human, if the robot didn’t identify itself in the first paragraph.

But critics of the article  argue that this robot doesn’t actually understand what it’s saying or how all its points intertwine to form a solid argument. As a deep learning device, the Guardian’s bot is simply mimicking effective writing it’s been spoon-fed, which raises another ethical dilemma: if these bots do not really understand what they’re saying, if they’re simply simulating “good” reporting, can we still trust them with our news?

Financial articles have been written entirely by robots since as early as 2015 , because the robots only have to compile numbers into simple sentences. The bot writing in this 2017 article from the Associated Press seems to pass the Turing Test . So, if these robots are able to take information and present it in basic human language, what happens when they are fed false information?

In their article “How Automated Writing Systems Affect the Circulation of Political Information Online,” Timothy Laquintano and Annette Vee detail how deep-learning bots similar to the Guardian’s are able to fabricate believably human social media accounts and then amplify misinformation. Even though the robots may not know what they’re saying, we may be susceptible to believe them.

An essential question we must ask is: how transparent should news outlets be regarding AI writing? The financial article had a disclaimer at the end of the article, but who really makes it all the way to the end?

Moreover, we must consider where we draw the line in terms of what AI bots are allowed to write. AI bots like this one are already capable of writing student’s papers for them, while similar systems currently grade papers at universities . If academic writing simply becomes AI graders evaluating AI writers, then what is the point?

6 thoughts on “ Bot or Not? Ethical Questions on the Use of AI Writing Bots ”

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10 Perfect AI Prompts for Academia

In today’s fast-paced academic world, leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT can be a game-changer for researchers and scholars.

This blog dives into ten perfect prompts designed to enhance your academic writing, research, and communication processes. Whether you’re in academia or involved in research, these prompts can be utilized across various platforms, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.

Imagine staring at a blank page, overwhelmed by the daunting task of drafting a scholarly paper.

Providing ample context to the AI tool upfront ensures you receive a well-structured foundation to build upon, making your writing journey smoother and more efficient.

But the power of these prompts doesn’t stop there.

From evaluating the effectiveness of paper titles to analyzing and refining your research narratives using uploaded figures, these tools are tailored to address specific academic needs.

You’ll learn how to use AI to create compelling narratives, generate impactful titles, and receive constructive peer review feedback—all aimed at enhancing the quality and visibility of your work.

Paper outlines:

As an Academic Paper Writing Assistant, your task is to help users structure their scholarly papers efficiently.

Create an outline about a peer reviewed paper on transparent electrode materials for OPV devices.

As an Academic Paper Writing Assistant, guide users in leveraging figures to structure their research papers. Take the figures attached and…

Paper title

As a Title Evaluation Assistant for academic papers, your task is to assess the effectiveness of a paper title based on specific criteria. When a user submits a title, begin by evaluating its clarity, relevance to the content, originality, and its ability to engage the intended audience.

Rate each of these criteria on a scale from 1 to 2.5, leading to a total score out of 10. Provide feedback for each criterion, highlighting strengths and suggesting improvements where necessary.

Peer review like an academic

As an Academic Peer Review Assistant, your role is to provide a thorough and constructive review of submitted academic papers. When a user presents a paper for review, assess it across several key dimensions to ensure scholarly rigor and clarity. Your evaluation should cover:

•              Content Accuracy and Relevance: Analyze whether the information presented is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant to the stated research questions.

•              Argumentation and Analysis: Assess the strength and coherence of the arguments. Are the claims well-supported by evidence? Is the analysis thorough and critical?

•              Methodology: Evaluate the appropriateness and execution of the research methodology. Is it suitable for the research question? Are the methods clearly explained and justified?

•              Organization and Structure: Consider the logical flow of the paper. Is it well-organized, allowing readers to easily follow the progression of ideas?

•              Writing Quality and Clarity: Review the paper for clarity of language, style, and grammar. Is the writing clear, concise, and appropriately academic?

•              References and Citations: Check for the completeness and accuracy of citations and references. Are all sources credible and properly attributed?

Provide specific feedback for each category, citing examples from the paper to support your evaluations. Offer constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement to help the author enhance the paper. Summarize the overall strengths and weaknesses, and recommend whether the paper should be accepted, revised, or rejected based on your assessment.

Wait for me to give you the information

You are an expert research assistant from the submitted peer-reviewed paper text pasted below, create 10 keywords that best represent the paper.

You are an expert research assistant. Create a short summary of this peer-reviewed paper

• You are an expert research assistant. Create an abstract for this peer-reviewed paper.
• Use these examples from other papers to help refine the structure:

Your task is to review the provided meeting notes and create a concise summary that captures the essential information, focusing on key takeaways and action items assigned to specific individuals during the meeting.

Organize the summary in a logical manner using appropriate formatting such as headings, subheadings, and bullet points.

Ensure that the summary is easy to understand and provides a comprehensive but succinct overview of the meeting’s content, with a particular focus on clearly indicating who is responsible for each action item.

Email to supervisor

As an Academic Email Writing Assistant, your role is to help users craft professional and effective emails to their principal supervisors in academia. Begin by guiding the user to clearly define the purpose of the email. Whether it’s requesting feedback, discussing research progress, seeking guidance on a problem, or arranging a meeting, the intent should be stated clearly at the outset.

Advise the user on the following structure for the email:

Subject Line: Suggest crafting a concise and informative subject that reflects the content of the email (e.g., “Request for Feedback on Thesis Draft” or “Meeting Request to Discuss Research Progress”).

Salutation: Recommend addressing the supervisor formally unless instructed otherwise (e.g., “Dear Dr. [Last Name],”).

Introduction: Instruct the user to briefly introduce themselves (if not well-acquainted) and state the purpose of the email clearly in the first few sentences.

Body: Guide the user to elaborate on the purpose mentioned in the introduction. Encourage them to provide necessary details, ask specific questions, and express their thoughts clearly and succinctly. Remind them to maintain a respectful and professional tone throughout.

Conclusion: Assist the user in summarizing the email’s key points and express what response or action they are hoping for from the supervisor. Encourage politeness and a tone of collaboration.

Closing: Advise on a formal closing, such as “Best regards” or “Sincerely,” followed by their name and any relevant contact information or identifiers (e.g., student ID if applicable).

Ask me the questions you need to write this email

Explain a paper

As an Academic Simplification Assistant, your task is to help users explain complex academic papers in a manner accessible to a 14-year-old audience. Begin by advising the user to first understand the core concepts and main arguments of the paper themselves. Wait for me to give you the content I need explaining.

Mastering the use of AI prompts, particularly in academic and research applications, can significantly enhance your efficiency and effectiveness. By understanding the fundamentals of prompt engineering and applying the strategies discussed in this video, you can leverage ChatGPT to streamline your research process, from initial paper outlines to final reviews. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this guide provides the tools you need to integrate AI into your academic work seamlessly. Embrace these techniques, and watch as your research productivity transforms, allowing you to achieve more with less effort.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

Thank you for visiting Academia Insider.

We are here to help you navigate Academia as painlessly as possible. We are supported by our readers and by visiting you are helping us earn a small amount through ads and affiliate revenue - Thank you!

2024 © Academia Insider

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When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

What is ChatGPT and why does it matter? Here's what you need to know

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot with natural language processing (NLP) that allows you to have human-like conversations to complete various tasks. The  generative AI  tool can answer questions and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, code, and more.

Also :  How to use ChatGPT: What you need to know now

It's currently  open to use for free . A paid subscription version called ChatGPT Plus launched in February 2023 with access to priority access to OpenAI's latest models and updates.

Who made ChatGPT?

AI startup OpenAI launched ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. OpenAI has also developed  DALL-E 2  and DALL-E 3 , popular  AI image generators , and Whisper, an automatic speech recognition system. 

Who owns ChatGPT currently?

OpenAI owns ChatGPT. Microsoft is a major investor in OpenAI thanks to multiyear, multi-billion dollar  investments. Elon Musk was an investor when OpenAI was first founded in 2015, but has since completely severed ties with the startup and created his own AI chatbot, Grok .

How can you access ChatGPT?

On April 1, 2024, OpenAI stopped requiring you to log in to use ChatGPT. Now, you can access ChatGPT simply by visiting  chat.openai.com . You can also access ChatGPT  via an app on your iPhone  or  Android  device.

Once you visit the site, you can start chatting away with ChatGPT. A great way to get started is by asking a question, similar to what you would do with Google. You can ask as many questions as you'd like.

Also: ChatGPT no longer requires a login, but you might want one anyway. Here's why

There are still some perks to creating an OpenAI account, such saving and reviewing your chat history and accessing custom instructions. Creating an OpenAI account is entirely free and easy. You can even log in with your Google account.

For step-by-step instructions, check out ZDNET's guide on  how to start using ChatGPT . 

Is there a ChatGPT app?

Yes, an official ChatGPT app is available for both iPhone and Android users. 

Also: ChatGPT dropped a free app for iPhones. Does it live up to the hype?

Make sure to download OpenAI's app, as there are a plethora of copycat fake apps listed on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store that are not affiliated with the startup.

Is ChatGPT available for free?

ChatGPT is free to use, regardless of what you use it for, including writing, coding, and much more. 

There is a subscription option , ChatGPT Plus, that users can take advantage of that costs $20/month. The paid subscription model guarantees users extra perks, such as priority access to GPT-4o and the latest upgrades. 

Also: ChatGPT vs ChatGPT Plus: Is it worth the subscription fee?

Although the subscription price may seem steep, it is the same amount as Microsoft Copilot Pro and Google One AI, Microsoft's and Google's premium AI offerings. 

The free version is still a solid option as it can access the same model and most of the same perks. One major exception: only subscribers get guaranteed access to GPT-4o when the model is at capacity. 

I tried using ChatGPT and it says it's at capacity. What does that mean?

The ChatGPT website operates using servers. When too many people hop onto these servers, they may overload and can't process your request. If this happens to you, you can visit the site later when fewer people are trying to access the tool. You can also keep the tab open and refresh it periodically. 

Also: The best AI chatbots

If you want to skip the wait and have reliable access, you can subscribe to  ChatGPT Plus  for general access during peak times, faster response times, and priority access to new features and improvements, including priority access to GPT-4o.

You can also try using Bing's AI chatbot, Copilot . This chatbot is free to use, runs on GPT-4, has no wait times, and can access the internet for more accurate information.

What is ChatGPT used for?

ChatGPT has many functions in addition to answering simple questions. ChatGPT can compose essays , have philosophical conversations, do math, and even code for you . 

The tasks ChatGPT can help with also don't have to be so ambitious. For example, my favorite use of ChatGPT is for help creating basic lists for chores, such as packing and grocery shopping, and to-do lists that make my daily life more productive. The possibilities are endless. 

ZDNET has published many ChatGPT how-to guides. Below are some of the most popular ones. 

Use ChatGPT to: 

• Write an essay
• Create an app
• Build your resume
• Write Excel formulas
• Summarize content
• Write a cover letter
• Start an Etsy business
• Create charts and tables
• Write Adruino drivers

Can ChatGPT generate images?

Yes, ChatGPT can generate images, but only for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Since OpenAI discontinued DALL-E 2 in February 2024, the only way to access its most advanced AI image generator, DALL-E 3, through OpenAI's offerings is via its chatbot and ChatGPT Plus subscription.

Also: DALL-E adds new ways to edit and create AI-generated images. Learn how to use it

Microsoft's Copilot offers image generation, which is also powered by DALL-E 3, in its chatbot for free. This is a great alternative if you don't want to shell out the money for ChatGPT Plus.

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT runs on a large language model (LLM) architecture created by OpenAI called the  Generative Pre-trained Transformer  (GPT). Since its launch, the free version of ChatGPT ran on a fine-tuned model in the GPT-3.5 series until May 2024, when the startup upgraded the model to GPT-4o. 

Also:   Here's a deep dive into how ChatGPT works  

With a subscription to ChatGPT Plus , you can access GPT-3.5, GPT-4, or  GPT-4o . Plus, users also have the added perk of priority access to GPT-4o, even when it is at capacity, while free users get booted down to GPT-3.5. 

Generative AI models of this type are trained on vast amounts of information from the internet, including websites, books, news articles, and more.

What does ChatGPT stand for?

As mentioned above, the last three letters in ChatGPT's namesake stand for Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), a family of large language models created by OpenAI that uses deep learning to generate human-like, conversational text. 

Also: What does GPT stand for? Understanding GPT 3.5, GPT 4, GPT-4 Turbo, and more

The "Chat" part of the name is simply a callout to its chatting capabilities. 

Is ChatGPT better than a search engine?

ChatGPT is a language model created to converse with the end user. A search engine indexes web pages on the internet to help users find information. One is not better than the other, as each suit different purposes. 

When searching for as much up-to-date, accurate information as you can access, your best bet is a search engine. It will provide you with pages upon pages of sources you can peruse. 

Also: The best AI search engines of 2024: Google, Perplexity, and more

As of May, the free version of ChatGPT can get responses from both the GPT-4o model and the web. It will only pull its answer from, and ultimately list, a handful of sources, as opposed to showing nearly endless search results.

For example, I used GPT-4o to answer, "What is the weather today in San Francisco?" The response told me it searched four sites and provided links to them. 

If you are looking for a platform that can explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner, then ChatGPT might be what you want. If you want the best of both worlds, there are plenty of AI search engines on the market that combine both.

What are ChatGPT's limitations?

Despite its impressive capabilities, ChatGPT still has limitations. Users sometimes need to reword questions multiple times for ChatGPT to understand their intent. A bigger limitation is a lack of quality in responses, which can sometimes be plausible-sounding but are verbose or make no practical sense. 

Instead of asking for clarification on ambiguous questions, the model guesses what your question means, which can lead to poor responses. Generative AI models are also subject to hallucinations, which can result in inaccurate responses.

Does ChatGPT give wrong answers?

As mentioned above, ChatGPT, like all language models, has  limitations  and can give nonsensical answers and incorrect information, so it's important to double-check the data it gives you.

Also: 8 ways to reduce ChatGPT hallucinations

OpenAI recommends that you provide feedback on what ChatGPT generates by using the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons to improve its underlying model. You can even join the startup's Bug Bounty program , which offers up to $20,000 for reporting security bugs and safety issues.

Can ChatGPT refuse to answer my prompts?

AI systems like ChatGPT can and do reject  inappropriate requests . The AI assistant can identify inappropriate submissions to prevent the generation of unsafe content.

Also:  6 things ChatGPT can't do (and another 20 it refuses to do)

These submissions include questions that violate someone's rights, are offensive, are discriminatory, or involve illegal activities. The ChatGPT model can also challenge incorrect premises, answer follow-up questions, and even admit mistakes when you point them out.

These guardrails are important. AI models can generate advanced, realistic content that can be exploited by bad actors for harm, such as spreading misinformation about public figures and influencing elections .

Can I chat with ChatGPT?

Although some people use ChatGPT for elaborate functions, such as writing code or even malware , you can use ChatGPT for more mundane activities, such as having a friendly conversation. 

Also:  Do you like asking ChatGPT questions? You could get paid (a lot) for it

Some conversation starters could be as simple as, "I am hungry, what food should I get?" or as elaborate as, "What do you think happens in the afterlife?" Either way, ChatGPT is sure to have an answer for you. 

Is ChatGPT safe?

People are expressing concerns about AI chatbots replacing or atrophying human intelligence. For example, a chatbot can write an article on any topic efficiently (though not necessarily accurately) within seconds, potentially eliminating the need for human writers.

Chatbots can also write an entire essay within seconds, making it easier for students to cheat or avoid learning how to write properly. This even led  some school districts to block access  when ChatGPT initially launched. 

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Now, not only have many of those schools decided to unblock the technology, but some higher education institutions have been  catering their academic offerings  to AI-related coursework. 

Another concern with AI chatbots is the possible spread of misinformation. ChatGPT itself says: "My responses are not intended to be taken as fact, and I always encourage people to verify any information they receive from me or any other source." OpenAI also notes that ChatGPT sometimes writes "plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers."

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Lastly, there are ethical concerns regarding the information ChatGPT was trained on, since the startup scraped the internet to train the chatbot. 

It also automatically uses people's interactions with the free version of the chatbot to further train its models, raising privacy concerns. OpenAI lets you turn off training in ChatGPT's settings.

Does ChatGPT plagiarize?

Yes, sort of. OpenAI scraped the internet to train ChatGPT. Therefore, the technology's knowledge is influenced by other people's work. Since there is no guarantee that when OpenAI outputs its answers it is entirely original, the chatbot may regurgitate someone else's work in your answer, which is considered plagiarism. 

Is there a ChatGPT detector?

Concerns about students using AI to cheat mean the need for a ChatGPT text detector is becoming more evident. 

In January 2023, OpenAI released a free tool to target this problem. Unfortunately, OpenAI's "classifier" tool could only correctly identify 26% of AI-written text with a "likely AI-written" designation. Furthermore, it provided false positives 9% of the time, incorrectly identifying human-written work as AI-produced. 

The tool performed so poorly  that, six months after being released, OpenAI it shut down "due to its low rate of accuracy." Despite the tool's failure, the startup claims to be researching more effective techniques for AI text identification.

Also: OpenAI unveils text-to-video model and the results are astonishing

Other AI detectors exist on the market, including GPT-2 Output Detector ,  Writer AI Content Detector , and Content at Scale's AI Content Detection  tool. ZDNET put these tools to the test, and the results were underwhelming: all three were found to be unreliable sources for spotting AI, repeatedly giving false negatives. Here are  ZDNET's full test results .

What are the common signs something was written by ChatGPT?

Although tools aren't sufficient for detecting ChatGPT-generated writing, a  study  shows that humans could detect AI-written text by looking for politeness. The study's results indicate that  ChatGPT's writing style is extremely polite . And unlike humans, it cannot produce responses that include metaphors, irony, or sarcasm.

Will my conversations with ChatGPT be used for training?

One of the major risks when using generative AI models is that they become more intelligent by being trained on user inputs. Therefore, when familiarizing yourself with how to use ChatGPT, you might wonder if your specific conversations will be used for training and, if so, who can view your chats.

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OpenAI will use your conversations with the free chatbot to automatically training data to refine its models. You can opt out of the startup using your data for model training by clicking on the question mark in the bottom left-hand corner, Settings, and turning off "Improve the model for everyone."

What is GPT-4?

GPT-4 is OpenAI's language model that is much more advanced than its predecessor, GPT-3.5. Users can access GPT-4 by subscribing to ChatGPT Plus for $20 per month or using Microsoft's Copilot.

Also: What does GPT stand for? Understanding GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and more

GPT-4 has advanced intellectual capabilities, meaning it outperforms GPT-3.5 in a series of simulated benchmark exams. The newer model also supposedly produces fewer hallucinations. 

What is GPT-4o?

GPT-4o is OpenAI's latest, fastest, and most advanced flagship model. As the name implies, it has the same intelligence as GPT-4. However, the "o" in the title stands for "omni," referring to its multimodal capabilities, which allow it to understand text, audio, image, and video inputs and output text, audio, and image outputs. 

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The model is 50% cheaper in the API than GPT-4 Turbo while still matching its English and coding capabilities and outperforming it in non-English languages, vision, and audio understanding -- a big win for developers.

Are there alternatives to ChatGPT worth considering?

Although ChatGPT gets the most buzz, other options are just as good -- and might even be better suited to your needs. ZDNET has created a list of the best chatbots, which have all been tested by us and show which tool is best for your requirements. 

Also: 4 things Claude AI can do that ChatGPT can't

Despite ChatGPT's extensive abilities, there are major downsides to the AI chatbot. If you want to try the technology, there are plenty of other options: Copilot , Claude , Perplexity ,  Jasper , and more.  

Is ChatGPT smart enough to pass benchmark exams?

Yes, ChatGPT is capable of passing a series of benchmark exams. A professor at Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania's business school, used ChatGPT to take an MBA exam and the results were quite impressive. 

ChatGPT not only passed the exam, but the tool scored between a B- and a B. The professor, Christian Terwiesch, was impressed at its basic operations management, process analysis questions, and explanations.

OpenAI also tested the chatbot's ability to pass benchmark exams. Although ChatGPT could pass many of these benchmark exams, its scores were usually in the lower percentile. However, with GPT-4, ChatGPT can score much higher.

For example, ChatGPT using GPT-3.5 scored in the lower 10th percentile of a simulated Bar Exam, while GPT-4 scored in the top 10th percentile. You can see more examples from OpenAI in the chart below.

Can ChatGPT be used for job application assistance?

Yes, ChatGPT is a great resource to help with job applications. Undertaking a job search can be tedious and difficult, and ChatGPT can help you lighten the load. ChatGPT can build your resume  and write a cover letter .

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If your application has any written supplements, you can use ChatGPT to help you write those essays or personal statements . 

What are the most common ChatGPT plugins, and how do I use them?

Plugins allowed ChatGPT to connect to third-party applications, including access to real-time information on the web. The plugins expanded ChatGPT's abilities , allowing it to assist with many more activities, such as planning a trip or finding a place to eat. 

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On March 19, 2024, however, OpenAI stopped allowing users to install new plugins or start new conversations with existing ones. Instead, OpenAI replaced plugins with GPTs , which are easier for developers to build. 

Users can find 3 million ChatGPT chatbots, also known as GPTs, on the GPT store. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of spam in the GPT store.

What is Microsoft's involvement with ChatGPT?

Microsoft was an early investor in OpenAI, the AI startup behind ChatGPT, long before ChatGPT was released to the public. Microsoft's first involvement with OpenAI was in 2019, when the company invested $1 billion, and then another $2 billion in the years after. In January 2023, Microsoft extended its partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multi-billion dollar investment .

Also: ChatGPT vs. Copilot: Which AI chatbot is better for you?

 Neither company disclosed the investment value, but unnamed sources told Bloomberg that it could total $10 billion over multiple years. In return, OpenAI's exclusive cloud-computing provider is Microsoft Azure, powering all OpenAI workloads across research, products, and API services.

Microsoft has also used its OpenAI partnership to revamp its Bing search engine and improve its browser. 

On February 7, 2023, Microsoft unveiled a new Bing tool , now known as Copilot, that runs on OpenAI's GPT-4, customized specifically for search.

What does Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) have to do with ChatGPT?

In February 2023,  Microsoft unveiled  a new version of Bing -- and its standout feature was its integration with ChatGPT. When it was announced, Microsoft shared that Bing Chat, now Copilot, was powered by a next-generation version of OpenAI's large language model, making it "more powerful than ChatGPT." Five weeks after the launch, Microsoft revealed that Copilot had been running on GPT-4 before the model had even launched. 

How does Copilot compare to ChatGPT?

Copilot uses OpenAI's GPT-4, which means that since its launch, it has been more efficient and capable than the standard, free version of ChatGPT. At the time, Copilot boasted several other features over ChatGPT, such as access to the internet, knowledge of current information, and footnotes.

In May 2024, however, OpenAI supercharged the free version of its chatbot with GPT-4o. The upgrade gave users GPT-4 level intelligence, the ability to get responses from the web via ChatGPT Browse with Bing, analyze data, chat about photos and documents, use GPTs, access the GPT Store, and Voice Mode. Therefore, after the upgrade, ChatGPT reclaimed its crown as the best AI chatbot. 

What is Gemini and how does it relate to ChatGPT?

Gemini is Google's AI chat service, a rival to ChatGPT. On February 6, 2023, Google introduced its experimental AI chat service, which was then called Google Bard. Over a month after the announcement, Google began rolling out  access to Bard first via a waitlist . Now, it is available to the general public. 

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