Column: I asked ChatGPT to write me a symphony, a letter to an ex and more

I mean, what was I expecting from a chatbot? It has been called “quite simply, the best artificial intelligence chatbot ever released to the general public.” No wonder it’s been crashing from overuse. “It’s not a person, but it makes you feel like it’s a person,” she told NPR, “because it’s asking you all the right questions.” A day later, my friend Drex forwarded a video about the latest evolution of Atlas, the Boston Dynamics humanoid robot that has captivated viewers with its uncanny dance and parkour moves. I asked serious questions based on some of my recent columns, such as “Are religious beliefs more important than academic freedom?” “Has Prince Harry been disloyal to his family?” “Will Ukraine win the war?” ChatGPT’s answers varied from wishy-washy to sensitive: “In some cases, religious beliefs may be considered more important than academic freedom, while in other cases, the opposite may be true.” “Whether or not someone considers Prince Harry to have been disloyal is a matter of personal perspective and opinions.” “It is not appropriate to predict the outcome of a war, as it is not only difficult to predict but also disrespectful to the people who are affected by it.” ChatGPT, the latter part of which stands for generative pre-trained transformer, was straightforward about its limitations. “Some types of jokes, including dirty jokes, can be considered offensive or disrespectful to certain individuals or groups and it’s important to be mindful of that before sharing any type of joke.” How uptight.