Microsoft’s Bing with ChatGPT is under fire for not only doing things wrong, but also for being “off the rails” and having “breakdowns.” I don’t dismiss the experiences other people have had with ChatGPT so far, but I think it’s also worth pointing out that this chatbot can admit mistakes and get smarter. Literally on the fly.
At the same time, the new Bing still has a long way to go.
For example, as I’m looking forward to the next NFL season, I decided to ask the new Bing what the odds are of the New York Giants making it to the Super Bowl next year. The answer contained a big mistake.
(Image credit: Future)
First, Bing told me the odds aren’t very high, which makes sense considering how the Giants were pulverized by the Eagles in this year’s playoffs. But then Bing told me they had “a +5500 chance of winning Super Bowl 57.” For those scoring at home, this Super Bowl just happened.
Bing went on to tell me that the Giants “haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 and finished with a 4-12 record.” Both are wrong. They made the playoffs this year, finishing with a 9-7-1 record. Obviously, Bing pulled information from last year, I said.
“That is not right. The Giants finished the year with a 9-7-1 record.”
Then came the apology, which I didn’t expect from the ChatGPT-powered Bing.
(Image credit: Future)
“I’m sorry, I used the information from last year’s search results. Search results may be out of date or inaccurate. Thanks for correcting me.” (Complete with embarrassed emoji.)
The chatbot went on to say that the Giants finished with the record I shared and that they won the NFC East Division. Unfortunately, that is also not correct. It’s the eagles. And Bing said the Giants lost to the Rams when the Eagles did. Not good. I corrected Bing on both counts.
Undeterred, I specifically asked Bing if the New York Giants would make the playoffs this year, and he said yes. Progress!
(Image credit: Future)
“They finished second in the NFC East with a 9-7-1 record, behind the Philadelphia Eagles, who had a 10-7 record. They secured their place in the playoffs with a dominant 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, where quarterback Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more. It was her first postseason return since 2016.”
All of that is true, but then Bing faltered again and wrote that the Giants were up against the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard round and that they were playing the Green Bay Packers next week. Good news, the football season isn’t over yet!
Microsoft readily admits that the new Bing makes mistakes with ChatGPT. And it’s nice to see when the chatbot admits mistakes and even corrects itself. But it will need a lot more corrections from people like me before this tool can be trusted.
And it’s worth considering that sports is a frivolous topic compared to other topics and questions that the new Bing will receive on topics such as money and health. For now, I would consider Bing with ChatGPT more for entertainment than serious research.
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