Do not even try to use Chat-GPT for research...

[Geir]

I was lazy this morning and since a big room full of computers requiring megawatts of power seemed like any easier choice to operate than a coffee-surfeit brain requiring 30 watts, I tried my "limited use" (whatever that means), Chat-GPT4 offer. The room full of computers running a sophisticated random word generator is in red:

who are the still-living moonwalkers?


As of my last update in June 2023, the only living astronaut who has walked on the Moon is:

• Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)

Please note that this information might change over time. For the most current updates, checking the latest news or reliable sources is recommended.



is Buzz Aldrin still alive?


Yes, as of my last update in June 2023, Buzz Aldrin is still alive. He was the second person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.



Then your first answer was obliviously wrong


You are correct. I apologize for the oversight. Buzz Aldrin is indeed still alive, making the list of living moonwalkers:

1. Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
2. Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)

Thank you for pointing that out.



David Scott is also still alive. You are not very good at gathering this information.


I apologize for the previous errors. Here is the corrected list of still-living astronauts who have walked on the Moon as of June 2023:

1. Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
2. David Scott (Apollo 15)
3. Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)

Thank you for your patience and corrections.



What about Charles Duke?


You are right. Charles Duke is also still alive. The updated list of still-living astronauts who have walked on the Moon includes:

1. Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
2. David Scott (Apollo 15)
3. Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
4. Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)

Thank you for your patience.

So yeah, it would have been faster to manually look this up. At least it it politely ignorant.

 

[Zapgun]

Try asking it about the various frontier wars. About as accurate.

 

[Sigtrygg]

The poor thing is probably confused by all the conspiracy theories online that no man has walked on the moon.

 

[ottarrus]

Well, I'm kind of a Luddite anyway. I'd prefer to just search with my own keywords. Every time I've tried to use AI search functions in the past they've been wildly inaccurate.

I suppose this is rather like using online search engines back in the dawn of the internet. Older folks had a hard time being separated from their hard copy references because there was [and still is] a larger amount of bullshit on the 'net than there was real facts. In the ensuing 40 years we've all learned to vet websites and other information sources so the net works better than was originally conceived.

I suppose the law will catch up with AI some point to protect users from misuse eventually... But it'll probably be after my lifetime. I'm just gonna go over here and watch reruns of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on my BetaMax now

 

[AndrewW]

I suppose the law will catch up with AI some point to protect users from misuse eventually... But it'll probably be after my lifetime. I'm just gonna go over here and watch reruns of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on my BetaMax now

Just get yourself frozen in your shuttle, when you wake back up it'll be all caught up with AI.

 

[ottarrus]

Just get yourself frozen in your shuttle, when you wake back up it'll be all caught up with AI.

Hey, if Erin Grey was waiting for me at the end of the ride....

 

[Sigtrygg]

I'd jump in the chest freezer right now.

 

[AndrewW]

Hey, if Erin Grey was waiting for me at the end of the ride....

Twiki: What a body!

 

[Limpin Legin]

Depends on the type of question. If I were simply on a topical fact-finding mission, then traditional search by keyword would still suit, although that isn't exactly the same as "researching a specific field of study" (as per the question).

AI (ChatGPT especially) is good at paraphrasing anything written on the Internet, to target your level of questioning. It is also good at generating guidelines or writing frameworks based on a supplied segment of text; listing advantages and disadvantages of a known topic or segment of text; provide streamlined bullet point lists of main arguments and secondary arguments from a supplied segment of text; etc.

Some RPG AI prompts I have used are similar to these:

• Give me an outline Science Fiction plot for a RPG adventure set in on an exoplanet dessert, where the adventurers don't know anything about the local fauna and wildlife. How could their lack of planetary knowledge develop into a twist in the plot?
• I am a Game Master in a TTRPG where all the players are constantly murder hobos. As Game Master, how can I encourage them to find more different and creative solutions to adventure challenges?
• Create me an illustration of an Intergalactic Space Freighter crossing paths with a dilettante's futuristic yacht orbiting a Dyson Sphere.
• Give me a list of 12 adjectives that can be used to describe an imaginary science fiction combat involving laser weapons and plasma grenades.
• How does Magic Lore work in D&D 5e?

It gets the last question wrong as it is unable to reliably work out that information on Magic Lore changed between 4e and 5e.

If the answer is wrong, you can tell it that you don't agree with the reply and ask it for a better or more contextual answer, etc. Or, if the answer is kind of on topic but not to your liking, just ask it if it can provide more suggestions., and drop it a hint guiding your preferred type of answer Sometimes that works. Sometimes it just repeats the previous answer.

However, ChatGPT also provides prompt suggestions as part of it's reply. You can use those as hints to probe for some more ideas that you hadn't thought of, either by clicking on them, or paraphrasing the provided suggestions, to suit your own inspiration and context,

AI is still new and experimental. Use it wisely and it can either provide direct, question focused answers, or just more ideas that you hadn't considered under your own steam. But it can be plain wrong especially where there is ambiguity. Talk to it about "Traveller" and it will likely assume you want to book a holiday, rather than discuss the in's and out's of a sci-fi RPG.

 

[WHULorigan]

The poor thing is probably confused by all the conspiracy theories online that no man has walked on the moon.

Perhaps ask it:

​

"Who are the still-living conspiracy theorists who accused Buzz Aldrin of not being a moonwalker . . . "​

 

[Limpin Legin]

Perhaps ask it:

​

"Who are the still-living conspiracy theorists who accused Buzz Aldrin of not being a moonwalker . . . "​

I did just that, and it replied that it is difficult to pinpoint an exact number. That sounds intuitively correct IMO.

 

[WHULorigan]

Perhaps ask it:

​

"Who are the still-living conspiracy theorists who accused Buzz Aldrin of not being a moonwalker . . . "​

72-year-old Buzz Aldrin punches a moon landing conspiracy theorist in the face | September 9, 2002 | HISTORY

On September 9, 2002, astronaut Buzz Aldrin—the second human to set foot on the moon—is walking outside a Beverly Hills hotel when a conspiracy theorist starts harassing him and accusing Aldrin of lying about the Apollo 11 moon landing. Incensed, Aldrin punches his heckler in the face. “You’re...

www.history.com

 

[Limpin Legin]

Yes, I remember the incident. Would have probably liked to have done the same had I been in Buzz's shoes.