So What's With ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is becoming a big name in the automated writing world. And a controversial name. Yet they're

not the only AI app around. There's Wordtune, Rytr, Copy, Jasper, Anywaor, Sudowrite and Writesonic. Content sites such as CNET, publishers and magazines have paused or ceased publishing articles created by AI apps. So, I decided to try out ChatGPT.

My instruction? Write a 300-word blog post on AI writing. This is an excerpt of what I got:

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly popular in many industries, including the writing industry. AI writing is a new phenomenon that allows machines to create content automatically. This technology can save time, money, and effort for writers, bloggers, and businesses that rely heavily on content creation."

If I don't like that, I can regenerate the answer:

"Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way in the past few years, and one of the areas in which it has made significant progress is in writing. AI writing is a technology that uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to produce written content that can range from simple sentences to complex articles, stories, and even novels."

These responses took less than a minute to generate. But, as Ian Bogart of The Atlantic says of ChatGPT, "[It's] Dumber Thank You Think. In short, it wrote a basic, high-school-style five-paragraph essay." The concluding paragraph even begins with "In conclusion." He's right. It does.