OpenAI’s just published “A Student’s Guide to Writing with ChatGPT”, where they peddle their wares using the usual hyperbolic tone:
Develop your ideas through Socratic dialogue
Like Socrates did for his interlocutors, ChatGPT can act as an intellectual sparring partner, engaging you in dialogue to help you articulate and refine your ideas.
How’s that for overreaching with a ridiculous analogy?
Arthur Perret, an assistant professor in Information and Communication Sciences at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, wrote a solid and pithy rebuttal, which also offers more sensible guidance:
Do not trust its directions. You will waste time and make mistakes. Again, ask a human or search for documents and data in a proper information system.
Bob Ross told us, “we don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents”.
Wasting time can be a good thing, and making mistakes is inevitable. What’s more, inefficiency and friction can be meaningful, as they can lead to better thinking and better writing. Moreover, how a student (or anyone, for that matter) navigates those mistakes will give a distinctive character to their work, which is precisely the opposite of what ChatGPT can offer.
Ariel Guersenzvaig, PhD 