Introduction
Working with ChatGPT as a collaborator the following prompt was generated. This prompt was designed to collect and display news items from a particular birthday.
“Imagine today is [BIRTHDATE in MM/DD/YYYY format]. Please provide a summary of 10 major news items that occurred on this date, each with a short title at the beginning, followed by a brief paragraph describing the event.”
And Then What Happened?
When using this prompt, I received the following response:
“I am an AI language model with a knowledge cutoff date in September 2021, and I am unable to provide real-time or specific date-based information. However, I can imagine a scenario for the date 10/12/1962 and provide you with fictional news items that could have occurred on that day, based on historical context”
Looking at the reply, ChatGPT4 provided a good hint on how to fix the prompt so that ChatGPT stops complaining about being an AI language model. I have changed the weight and color of the the suggestive text to make it more obvious.
I removed the word “fictional” cause there is no reason to force only fictional news items. Might as well leave room for a chance of historical accuracy.
The updated prompt is below.
“Imagine a scenario for the date [BIRTHDATE in MM/DD/YYYY format] and provide 5 news items that could have occurred on that day, based on historical context.”
A Test Chat Session
Here is the result when used in a new chat.
Imagine a scenario for the date 10/12/1962 and provide 5 news items that could have occurred on that day, based on historical context.
On October 12, 1962, the following news items could have potentially occurred, given the historical context of the time:
- Cuban Missile Crisis Developments: U.S. intelligence agencies report increased Soviet activity in Cuba, raising concerns about the installation of nuclear missile bases on the island. The Kennedy administration is closely monitoring the situation and considering various options, including a possible naval blockade, to address the threat.
- Typhoon Freda Strikes the Pacific Northwest: Typhoon Freda, one of the most destructive storms to hit the Pacific Northwest, causes widespread damage in Oregon and Washington. The storm results in numerous fatalities, power outages, and significant property damage, with recovery efforts expected to last for weeks.
- NASA’s Project Mercury Progress: NASA announces the selection of a new group of astronauts for Project Mercury, the United States’ first manned spaceflight program. These astronauts will undergo intensive training in preparation for future space missions, as the U.S. continues its efforts to catch up to the Soviet Union in the space race.
- Civil Rights Movement Gains Momentum: Civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., participate in peaceful protests and rallies across the United States, advocating for the end of racial segregation and equal rights for African Americans. Tensions rise as these events are met with opposition from segregationists and local law enforcement.
- British Rock and Roll on the Rise: The Beatles, an up-and-coming British rock band, are gaining popularity in the UK and beginning to attract attention in the United States. Music critics predict the group will become a major force in the music industry, as their innovative sound and style captivate audiences.
Brief Accuracy Check
Cuban Missile Crisis Developments is from Oct 1962.
Typhoon Freda was accurate… or more precisely Wikipedia agreed. Whether or not Wikipedia is correct happens to be a different can of worms.
NASA announces the selection of a new group of astronauts for Project Mercury on September 17, 1962. Pretty close to October.
Civil Rights Movement Gains Momentum. This spans such a broad time period that it would be hard for ChatGPT to be too far off. In a google search there are several mentions of significant activity in September of 1962. So we’ll give ChatGPT a pass.
British Rock and Roll on the Rise. This could be relevant to almost any birthdate in the 1960’s.
All in all not a bad report card. I’d give this response a passing grade. When I tried to get ChatGPT to reply with events that were specific to a give date, I found a dramatic reduction in accuracy. I expect if the questions were multiple choice it would have done even better.
In Conclusion
I collaborated with ChatGPT to create a prompt. It created one that worked — more or less. Then with a bit of human intervention a somewhat fun prompt was the result. Who doesn’t want to know more about what was happening on their birthday — other than being shoved down a tight tunnel and being thrust into a very bright room only to get your butt slapped.