How NOT to Get Burned by Dirty, Rotten, Lying Robots

Reason #473 to attend today’s free masterclass (How to Use AI Wisely 💡 to Save Time ⏱️ & Produce Great Content 🚀 — Without Sacrificing Your Sparkling Personality 🤩 and Humanity)…

GPT-powered-robots are dirty, rotten, liars. I’m going to show you how NOT TO GET BURNED by their dirty, rotten, lying ways.

I know. Them’s fighting words. But I gotta call ’em like I see ’em…

…and here’s what I saw this morning when I asked my GPT-powered robot “B-9?” to “tell me something funny that happened on this day in history, November 2”

“B-9?” responded: “…comedian k.d. lang was born on November 2, 1961. Her unique style and humorous take on life have certainly brought laughter to many over the years.”

Ummmmmmm… No!

k.d. lang (and, yes, that is how she spells her name — lower case letters and all) is a SINGER.

Some of her best ditties…

…Trail of Broken Hearts…

…Lock, Stock, and Teardrops…

…and…

…Crying…

Yes, I said, “Crying,” as in “NOT LAUGHING.” 

So I confronted the dirty, rotten, lying robot: “What gives? ‘B-9?’ Why did you tell me k.d. lang is a ‘comedian?'”

“B-9?”: That was an error on my part. I misspoke in my previous message. k.d. lang is indeed not a comedian; she is a renowned singer and songwriter.

Me: I know that was an error on your part. Why did you make the error?

“B-9?” blathered on about misinterpretation of the query, data retrieval errors, and other highfalutin robot lingo…

…and then he said: “The information I draw upon is based on vast but finite training data. If there’s an uncommon error or a rare piece of misinformation in the training data regarding k.d. lang, it might have led to an inaccurate statement.”

(Ahhhh… The old blame-the-training-data trick )

Me: You mean if there’s a single, solitary error in the dataset from which you draw, you may spit out incorrect information?

“B-9?” backtracked a bit: “It’s not quite that fragile. AI models like mine are designed to be robust against isolated errors in the data.”

But then he doubled-down on the blame-the-training-data bullsh*t:

“…if incorrect information is present and somehow reinforced across various contexts within the training data, it can lead to an increased likelihood of the AI providing inaccurate information.”

Me: Can you point me to any place online where k.d. lang is referred to as a ‘comedian?’

“B-9?”: No, there isn’t a credible source that refers to k.d. lang as a comedian because she is not one; she is a well-known singer-songwriter…

(Now we were getting somewhere. I smelled robot blood.)

Me: Then why did you suggest your error may have resulted from “data quality?”

“B-9?”: I apologize for any confusion. My previous explanation about data quality was meant to give a general overview of how AI models can sometimes produce errors due to issues with the underlying data.

(The old “Oh-I-wasn’t-talking-about-THIS-case-I-was-presenting-a-hypothetical” trick)

I’d had it with this slippery robot. I decided to cut to the chase.

Me: How can I trust you to get the facts right?

“B-9?”: Your concern is valid, and it’s important to approach information from AI with a critical eye.

And then the robot offered some suggestions to “ensure you receive the most accurate information.” (Obvious things like “verify facts through multiple reputable sources.”)

Me: Those suggestions are fine. But can I trust you? Yes or no?

“B-9?”: Yes, you can trust me to strive for accuracy and to provide helpful information to the best of my abilities, but it’s always wise to cross-check important facts.

Me: I’m not asking if I can trust you to STRIVE for accuracy. I’m asking you if I can trust you to BE ACCURATE. Yes or no?

“B-9?” paused and frowned and paused some more…

…until finally he said: “No, I…

…cannot guarantee absolute accuracy at all times.”

Then my scoundrel robot put his dirty, rotten, lying chin on his chest, turned around, and walked off into the sunset…

…toward the trail of broken hearts.

You may be smiling. But…

…this is no laughing matter.

If you rely on your GPT-powered robot to write copy, conduct research, or assist in any other content-creation task…

…you need to understand the risks…

…and you need to know how to avoid the pitfalls.

If you run with inaccurate, robot-generated garbage, your marketing will flop…

…and so will your business.

At today’s masterclass, I’ll share strategies and tactics I employ right now to mange my robot so together we can…

…generate accurate, time-saving, business-building content.

When: TODAY, Thursday, November 2, 2:30 p.m. ET, 11:30 a.m. PT

Where: Zoom (you’ll get the link when you register)

What: A free masterclass. I’ll reveal tools, tactics, and strategies I use to save time and produce better content with AI’s help.

Details and registration: Here

One last thing: k.d. lang is not just any singer/songwriter. She’s one of the all-time greats. And that song Trail of Broken Hearts is a beauty! See for yourself…