Last year I wrote an article for the Daily Sceptic on the draft Vision statement of University College, London. I was not impressed by the level of thought reflected in the document. The Vision statement struck me as possibly the output of some kind of bot.
In the meantime, just such a bot, chatGPT, has become publicly available. So I thought it might be interesting to see what it comes up with when fed with my suggested botwords.
Here is UCL’s version:
Vision
Our distinctive approach to research, education and innovation will further inspire our community of staff, students and partners to transform how the world is understood, how knowledge is created and shared and the way that global problems are solved.
Here are a couple of chatGPT responses after I gave it the following instruction:
Write a short paragraph containing these words: vision, distinctive, research, education, innovation, inspire, community , students, partners, transform, world, knowledge, global.
Version 1
Our vision is to create a world where distinctive research, education, and innovation inspire communities and students, and transform the world through partnerships and the advancement of knowledge. We strive to bring together a diverse group of individuals and organisations to collaborate and make a global impact, using their unique perspectives and innovative thinking to drive change and bring about a better future for all.
Version 2
Our vision is to use distinctive research, education, and innovation to inspire communities, students, and partners, and transform the world through the advancement of knowledge. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth, we aim to equip individuals with the skills and tools they need to bring about positive change and make a global impact. Our goal is to create a better and more knowledgeable world for future generations through partnerships and collaboration.
Do you have a preference? The UCL version is a bit shorter, but the other two seem adequate. All are equally empty. Will this exciting new tech development lead to unemployment for university diversitycrats? Let us hope so.
In any case, chatGPT can do better with better input:
Write a short paragraph including the words truth, reason, verifiable, university
A university education is built on the pursuit of truth through reason and verifiable evidence. Students are encouraged to think critically, ask questions, and seek out reliable sources of information as they work to expand their knowledge and understanding of the world. By fostering a culture of impartial investigation and the use of reason, universities play a crucial role in helping students discover the truth and prepare for lives as informed and engaged members of society.
The word truth did not appear in the original 4,300-word Vision, Mission and Values statement…
John Staddon is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Biology and Neurobiology, Emeritus at Duke University.
Stop Press: If any readers want to see if they can get chatGPT to improve on the woke nonsense churned out by their employers, please send the results to thedailysceptic@gmail.com. We will publish some of the best.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.