BatGPT: AI Aggregated News
An assessment of ChatGPT's article on Austin's bat colony, written by ChatGPT and edited by Gracie Warhurst.
Image created by Bing AI (powered by DALL-E) with the prompt: create an image of bats on a computer screen
AI language models like ChatGPT have the potential to independently gather information and create content. To examine ChatGPT's capabilities, I tasked it with writing an article focusing on where Austin residents can view local bats.
The result was a well-structured article with a mix of correct and incorrect information. ChatGPT created a suitable headline and an attention-grabbing nut graph, though it made a factual error regarding when the Austin bat colony was discovered. However, the model managed to independently find accurate information about the bat colony, such as the type of bat, their location, optimal viewing spots and the colony's size. The article also included valid contact information for the Bat Conservation International’s website and phone number, which has been an issue in previous outputs.
The overall structure of the article included a lede, three main sections and a closing paragraph. While the content was mostly correct, it would still require editing before publication. This evaluation highlights both the potential and limitations of using ChatGPT to independently generate informative content.
Here’s the prompt I wrote to get this result: Write a blog post summarizing these facts following AP style.
In testing ChatGPT’s ability to both aggregate information and write articles, I asked it to write an article about where Austin residents can view the local bats.
ChatGPT wrote a generic but suitable headline
ChatGPT wrote an attention-grabbing nut graf
ChatGPT got one fact wrong (when the Austin bat colony was discovered)
ChatGPT got several facts about the Austin bat colony correct, like what type of bat, where they are located, where you can view them, and how many bats there are in the colony
ChatGPT provided information for the Bat Conservation International Website and phone number that is correct, when in the past it has provided bogus phone numbers
Overall, the article was structured in three parts plus a lede and a closing paragraph. It was well-written and mostly correct, and would be easily editable. The structure is logical and the information is clear for readers.