ChatGPT fumbles the Carolina Bays

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program that can answer questions using a Generative Pre-trained Transformer large language model. The program has achieved a high level of performance in many fields and it is now available for testing by the general public. ChatGPT has been able to pass bar exams for lawyers and college entrance exams. I wanted to see how it would answer questions about the Carolina Bays.

The Neglected Carolina Bays: Ubiquitous Geological Evidence of a Cataclysm.

Python programs for least squares fitting of ellipses.

[olliea]

I'm sat here in the garden after a night shift, laughing my head off at you kicking the bad kitty! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thanks Antonio! 👍

[liliannison]

Incredible video. Critical thinking and humor without malice really go hand in hand! Un grand merci à vous, Monsieur Zamora. 😋

[acebacker]

🤣🤣🤣 Excellent Mr Zamora. I thoroughly enjoy your videos generally, and am totally onboard with the glacial impact hypothesis causation of the Carolina Bays. I challenged Chat GPT with some Anthropomorphic Global Warming questions (I don’t deny the Holocaust) and it spat out the same old “consensus” human causation stuff.
Eventually, Chat GPT may become smart enough to realise you’re correct. In the meantime, I’ll sit back and be amused by your virtual bad kitty 😂😂 (and your excellent science).
Well done 😊

[TimothyWhiteheadzm]

What you need to understand about the current AI models like ChatGPT is that they are great for style suggestions and even useful for hints and suggestions when searching for information, but never ever use them for finding facts without verifying those facts. They lie all the time. If you want to write an essay or cv, legal letter, scientific paper etc they are great for style ideas, but verify every fact included before using the results.

[direbearcoat]

About ChatGPT making stuff up, I read an article about a judge who through out a court filing, because the court cases that were cited to support their case was all fabricated.

The attorney was probably on the verge of being severely punished. The judge was furious.

It turned out that the attorney asked ChatGPT to find court cases that supported his specific case. ChatGPT returned several cases, complete with case numbers, citing several laws or regulations including chapter, subsections, and paragraphs. It gave arguments that were made and the rulings of the courts and all of that stuff for each example that it gave to the attorney.

It was all fiction. ChatGPT just made it all up. It lied, rather than telling the attorney that it couldn't find any, or that it needed more information...

The law firm and that attorney surely felt great humiliation, I'm sure. The judge ordered that from that time forward that any law firm that used AI to do some of their work, must have humans to double check the AI's work.

My guess is that the law firm thought they might be able to lay off their clerks and paralegals, so that they could save money, and replace them all with ChatGPT. That plan did not work, if that's what their plan was.

[jimihendrix]

''Garbage input means Garbage output'' = ChatGPT

[MySouLisBlue]

ChatGPT gather information all around the internet, it doesn't "create" data by analysing, it just read something and insert it in his answer. so for exemple if you were the only one who had conducted specific studies on a subject, to answer your question it will litterally read to you your own work. in that regard i don't get why ChatGPT can be considered as a reference. (sorry for phrasing not my native language)

[charly]

Good job Antonio. It will be a while before mimics like ChatGTP can emulate real science. When a machine can produce an unsolicited thought, then we can worry about them.

[psycotria]

Thanks again for another interesting video. I have not yet played with ChatGPT. I did watch a video by a musician who asked ChatGPT v3 & v4 to compose music scores of different types. Even through it seemed to understand some of his jargon, he concluded that ChatGPT v4, while better than v3, still does not understand music.

Perhaps I will take the time to investigate this establishment created tool that sows seeds of confusion.

[cthulhuhoops]

So basically it was suggesting that you reach out to yourself for further information.

[DaveGIS]

In "2001: A Space Odyssey" the malfunctioning computer HAL 9000 refuses to admit it can make a mistake, ever. Consider these quotes:


Interviewer: Good afternoon, HAL. How's everything going?
HAL: Good afternoon, Mr. Amer. Everything is going extremely well.
Interviewer: HAL, you have an enormous responsibility on this mission, in many ways perhaps the greatest responsibility of any single mission element. You're the brain, and central nervous system of the ship, and your responsibilities include watching over the men in hibernation. Does this ever cause you any lack of confidence?
HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.


HAL: [Regarding the supposed failure of the parabolic antenna on the ship, which HAL himself falsified] It can only be attributable to human error.


HAL: [After murdering the men in hibernation] Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

[Dontrustmycamera]

Have you applied your least squares program to the bays on the north coast of Alaska?

[lectrikdog]

LMAO ChatGPT Blowing Smoke? I am not surprised.

[scottowens]

You said to Yourself, Self.
Flat cat anyone? Served single or in stacks.

[SB-qmwg]

I've been underwhelmed by chatCCP. I tried to use it to code simple functions and built from there.

[stevenbalderstone]

Antonio, which version of ChatGPT did you use: 3.5 or 4.0? 4.0 is a superior tool. The tool openly states that it doesn't have extensive access to scholarly publications. If version 5.0 is released it will likely have access and experience fewer hallucinations.

[tentigers]

As we see from news and people - they can "say" anything without the need for proof (or any investigation). So now we see AI can do the same thing. Talk is cheap.

[Alarix]

The kitty is ridiculous at its inability to point out the obvious.

[stevenbalderstone]

Here is GPT 4.0's response: PROMPT - Consider the range of published information you have access to and provide an assessment of why the Carolina Bays have a mathematically precise elliptical geometry? What potential mechanisms could have created terrestrial structures with such geometry? Consider all possible causes and speculate as to the most probable causes. RESPONSE: The precise elliptical geometry of the Carolina Bays has been a subject of scientific inquiry and debate. While the exact cause is not yet definitively established, several potential mechanisms have been proposed to explain the formation of terrestrial structures with such geometry. It is important to note that the following assessment considers a range of possibilities and involves some level of speculation. Speculating on the most probable cause, given the available information, is challenging without definitive evidence. While all proposed mechanisms have their merits, the extraterrestrial impact hypothesis appears less likely due to the absence of identified impact craters. Glacial and wind-related processes may contribute to the elongation and alignment of the Carolina Bays but might not fully explain their mathematically precise elliptical geometry. Further research is necessary to examine potential subsurface processes, the influence of hydrology and groundwater, and conduct detailed geophysical surveys to better understand the formation mechanisms. Combining field investigations, geochronological dating, and advanced modeling techniques may provide insights and help determine the most probable causes of the Carolina Bays' precise elliptical geometry. PROMPT: Could an impact on the Laurentide Ice Sheet have caused the Carolina Bays, and have not left an impact crater? RESPONSE: Yes, it is possible that an impact on the Laurentide Ice Sheet could have contributed to the formation of the Carolina Bays without leaving a distinct impact crater. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered a vast area of North America during the last Ice Age, and if an impact occurred on the ice sheet, the resulting energy release could have led to the creation of the Carolina Bays. When an impact occurs on an ice sheet, it can produce various effects depending on the size, angle, and energy of the impact. The intense heat and shockwaves generated by the impact can cause melting, vaporization, and fragmentation of the ice, leading to the formation of depressions and the ejection of material. One possible scenario is that the impact onto the Laurentide Ice Sheet caused the ice to fracture and deform, resulting in the creation of elliptical depressions as the ice moved and adjusted. These depressions, later known as the Carolina Bays, could have been further shaped by subsequent glacial and environmental processes over time. In this scenario, the absence of a distinct impact crater is plausible. The impact energy might have dissipated within the ice sheet, preventing the formation of a traditional impact crater. The ice's movement, subsequent melting, and glacial retreat over thousands of years could have further obscured any remnant crater. It is worth noting that this hypothesis is speculative, and further research and investigation are required to support or refute this possibility. Detailed geological studies, sediment analysis, and geophysical surveys, including ground-penetrating radar and seismic imaging, could potentially shed light on the origin and formation mechanisms of the Carolina Bays.

THOUGHTS: This is still not a highly satisfying answer but we should also remember that there is material available online that does propose alternate explanations for the Bays, so the non-committal response is understandable. The suggestion of further research does seem entirely reasonable.

[VAspeed]

Clearly, ChatGPT needs to spend some quality time on Yiutube!