Generative-AI chatbots, like Google Bard, have become increasingly popular for their ability to provide quick responses and engage in realistic conversations. However, these chatbots are not without flaws, as they often have an accuracy problem and are prone to making things up. In order to address this issue, a journalist has taken it upon himself to break down the prompts he uses to identify errors introduced by Bard.
The journalist, who understands the importance of fact-checking in the age of AI, has devised four prompts to quickly and efficiently fact-check Bard’s responses. Prompt one involves asking Bard to provide a list of the fundamental facts on which its response relied. This allows the journalist to check for self-consistency and verify each fact individually, ensuring that Bard is not making unsupported claims.
Prompt two, “Base your answer on these facts,” is a crucial step in the fact-checking process. Here, the journalist provides Bard with a numbered list of statements and instructs the chatbot to reference them in its response. By doing so, the journalist can ensure that Bard includes every statement provided and doesn’t omit any important details.
For problem-solving scenarios, the journalist relies on prompt three: “Think step-by-step.” This particular prompt aims to make Bard’s thought process more transparent, allowing the journalist to identify any dubious assumptions or mistakes made by the chatbot. By understanding how Bard arrives at its conclusions, the journalist can better assess the accuracy of its responses.
Prompt four, “Rewrite with these changes in mind,” is used when the journalist spots a factual error in Bard’s response. Instead of dismissing the mistake, the journalist asks Bard to rewrite the answer while listing the specific changes that need to be made. By doing this, the journalist hopes to not only correct the factual error but also provide Bard with an opportunity to learn and improve.
In conclusion, while generative-AI chatbots like Google Bard can be helpful tools in providing quick responses, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of fact-checking and not relying solely on their answers. The journalist’s prompts serve as a useful framework to quickly identify and rectify errors. By verifying each fact, ensuring complete referencing, and transparently examining Bard’s thought process, users can become more critical consumers of AI-generated content.
“Social media scholar. Reader. Zombieaholic. Hardcore music maven. Web fanatic. Coffee practitioner. Explorer.”