OpenAI investigating user claims that ChatGPT has become ‘lazy’: ‘This certainly isn’t intentional’

Published

11 months ago

December 15, 2023

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ChatGPT users are grumbling that the popular chatbot has gotten lazier by refusing to complete some complex requests and its creator OpenAI is investigating the strange behavior.

Social media platforms such as X, Reddit and even OpenAIs developer forum are riddled with accounts that ChatGPT a large-language model trained on massive troves of internet data — is resisting labor-intensive prompts, such as requests to help the user write code and transcribe blocks of text.

The strange trend has emerged as Microsoft-backed OpenAI faces stiff competition from other firms pursuing generative artificial intelligence products, including Google, which recently released its own Gemini chatbot tool.

Late last month, X user and startup executive Matt Wensing posted screenshots of an exchange in which he asked ChatGPT to list all weeks between now and May 5th 2024.

The chatbot initially refused, claiming that it cant generate an exhaustive list of each individual week but eventually complied when Wensing insisted.

GPT has definitely gotten more resistant to doing tedious work, Wensing wrote on Nov. 27. Essentially giving you part of the answer and then telling you to do the rest.

In a second example, Wensing asked ChatGPT to generate a few dozen lines of code. Instead, the chatbot provided him a template and told him to follow this pattern to complete the task.

Another example where I asked it to extend some code.

It would have had to generate perhaps 50 lines.

It told me to do it instead. pic.twitter.com/MymTCrMSCZ

In another viral instance, ChatGPT refused a users request to transcribe text included in a photo from a page of a book.

ChatGPT officials confirmed last Thursday that they were examining the situation.

We’ve heard all your feedback about GPT4 getting lazier! we haven’t updated the model since Nov 11th, and this certainly isn’t intentional. model behavior can be unpredictable, and we’re looking into fixing it.

we've heard all your feedback about GPT4 getting lazier! we haven't updated the model since Nov 11th, and this certainly isn't intentional. model behavior can be unpredictable, and we're looking into fixing it ?

The company later clarified its point, stating the idea is not that the model has somehow changed itself since Nov 11th.

It’s just that differences in model behavior can be subtle — only a subset of prompts may be degraded, and it may take a long time for customers and employees to notice and fix these patterns, the company said.

ChatGPT and other chatbots have swelled in popularity since last year. However, experts have raised concerns about their tendency to hallucinate, or spit out false and inaccurate information, such as a recent incident in which ChatGPT and Googles Bard chatbot each falsely claimed that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire agreement when no deal had occurred at the time.

A recent study performed by researchers at Long Island University found that ChatGPT incorrectly responded to some 75% of questions about prescription drug usage and gave some responses that would have caused harm to patients.

OpenAI has contended with internal turmoil following the surprise firing and rehiring of Sam Altman as its CEO. A report last week said senior OpenAI employees had raised concerns that Altman was psychologically abusive to staffers before his initial firing.

ChatGPT remains the most popular chatbot of its kind, reaching more than 100 million active weekly users as of November, according to Altman.

Entertainment

First Glastonbury tickets sell out in 30 minutes as new booking system launched

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

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First Glastonbury tickets sell out in 30 minutes as new booking system launched

Coach tickets to Glastonbury 2025 were sold out in half an hour, organisers have said, as they roll out a new booking system for festivalgoers.

They were the first group of tickets to be sold for the world-famous festival in Somerset, which is set to take place between 25 and 29 June.

This year, fans navigated a new system to buy the tickets as they were “randomly assigned a place in a queue” instead of having to refresh the holding page once they went live.

The organisers said in a post on X: “The Glastonbury 2025 tickets + coach travel which were on sale this evening have now all been sold.

“Our thanks to everyone who bought one.”

They added that National Express services would be available to bring festivalgoers from across the country to Glastonbury.

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Standard tickets will go on sale on Sunday at 9am. Last year they were sold out within an hour.

See Tickets said in a post on X that “confirmation emails are going out now to everyone who got @Glastonbury coach tickets this evening”.

Tickets for the annual event at Worthy Farm in Somerset cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, and are sold exclusively through the See Tickets website, with no third-party sellers involved.

The new ticket system has changed the way people join the booking system.

Organisers previously warned hopefuls to log in “at least a few minutes” before the sale opened today and to avoid refreshing the page.

Festivalgoers were also told not to attempt to game the system by using multiple devices.

The sale follows chaos earlier this year when tickets for the Oasis reunion went on sale, seeing a multitude of disappointed fans as well as those who felt cheated after being charged hundreds of pounds more for their tickets than was originally advertised.

Anyone wishing to buy tickets for Glastonbury must have registered by 11 November, a rule in place to avoid touting.

US

RFK Jr chosen as Donald Trump’s health secretary

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

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RFK Jr chosen as Donald Trump's health secretary

Donald Trump has chosen vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as his new health secretary.

The news was announced by Donald Trump Jr on X, before the president-elect confirmed the appointment just moments later.

Former Democrat RFK Jr, the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, had been running as an independent presidential candidate but dropped out of the race and endorsed Mr Trump in August.

In return for Mr Kennedy’s support during the election, President-elect Trump pledged to give him a “big role” – and RFK Jr’s preference for the health position was widely reported.

The health and human services (HHS) department includes the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medicare, Medicaid and the National Institutes of Health.

RFK Jr will “restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again,” the president-elect wrote on X.

Mr Trump added: “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration.”

Mr Kennedy is a known vaccine sceptic who has repeated misinformation on multiple occasions, including the discredited theory that childhood immunisations cause autism.

The RFK Jr-led health department will “play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” the president-elect added.

Earlier, his son Donald Trump Jr was the first to confirm the appointment, writing on X: “Robert F Kennedy Jr will be The Secretary of Health and Human Services! Promises Made Promises Kept.”

RFK Jr’s position will need to be confirmed with a Senate vote – but even with the chamber under Republican control, his appointment may face opposition because of his views on health issues.

Before Mr Trump announced his choice, Mr Kennedy had already claimed the new president would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office. The addition of the compound has been cited as helping to improve dental health.

The department RKF Jr is hoping to oversee has more than 80,000 employees across the United States.

Environment

A 100-MW solar farm just broke ground in Wisconsin

Published

3 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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A 100-MW solar farm just broke ground in Wisconsin

Wisconson solar — Image: National Grid Renewables

National Grid Renewables has broken ground on its 100 MW Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin solar farm, which will use US-made First Solar Series 6 Plus bifacial modules, will be constructed by The Boldt Company, creating 150 construction and service jobs. Apple River Solar will generate over $36 million in direct economic benefits over its first 20 years.

Once it comes online in late 2025, Apple River Solar will supply clean energy to Xcel Energy, which serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest. According to National Grid Renewables, the solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 26,000 homes annually. It will also offset about 129,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to taking 30,900 cars off the road.

“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”

Electrek reported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.

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