New Study Finds that ChatGPT’s Programming Answers are Over 50% Inaccurate

New Study Finds that ChatGPT’s Programming Answers are Over 50% Inaccurate

Introduction:

A recent study conducted by Purdue University reveals that ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular chatbot, provides inaccurate answers to programming questions more than half of the time. The research team evaluated ChatGPT’s responses to 517 Stack Overflow queries, analyzing their accuracy, coherence, breadth, and concision. The findings indicate that 52% of ChatGPT’s answers are incorrect and 77% are excessively verbose. Despite these shortcomings, the study also found that ChatGPT’s responses are often favored due to their well-articulated linguistic style. However, 77% of the chosen responses required correction. OpenAI admits that their program may produce inaccurate information and has not commented on the study. The report highlights the challenges in identifying errors in ChatGPT’s answers and attributes the bot’s friendly and authoritative tone to its perceived reliability.

Full Article: New Study Finds that ChatGPT’s Programming Answers are Over 50% Inaccurate

Study Reveals ChatGPT’s Programming Answers are Inaccurate More Than Half the Time

A recent study conducted by researchers at Purdue University has found that OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, provides incorrect answers to software development questions over 50% of the time. Surprisingly, despite the inaccuracies, a third of the participants still believed the bot’s responses.

Examining ChatGPT’s Programming Answers

The Purdue team analyzed ChatGPT’s responses to 517 queries from Stack Overflow to evaluate its accuracy, coherence, breadth, and concision. Additionally, language and sentiment analysis were performed on the responses before gathering feedback from a dozen volunteers regarding the model’s output.

The team’s findings revealed that 52% of ChatGPT’s answers were incorrect, and 77% were excessively verbose. Despite this, ChatGPT’s answers were still preferred 39.34% of the time due to their thoroughness and well-articulated style. However, 77% of these chosen answers required correction.

OpenAI’s Acknowledgment

OpenAI openly admits that ChatGPT “may produce inaccurate information about people, places, or facts.” The lab has yet to comment on the Purdue study, raising further discussions about the reliability of the program.

Who Answers It Better?

The research paper, titled “Who Answers It Better?,” thoroughly examines ChatGPT’s responses alongside those from Stack Overflow. It sheds light on the inconsistencies in the bot’s answers to software engineering questions. The paper was written by researchers David Udo-Imeh, Bonan Kou, Samia Kabir, and Tianyi Zhang, an assistant professor.

User Recognition of Errors

The study found that users could only identify errors in ChatGPT’s answers when they were glaringly obvious. Users often needed to recognize the incorrectness of the solution or underestimate its level of mistake, particularly when the error was not easily verifiable or required external references.

Despite clear inaccuracies, the study found that two out of twelve individuals still chose the faulty response as preferable. The researchers attributed this tendency to the friendly and authoritative tone used by ChatGPT.

The Impact of Language and Presentation

The study’s semi-structured interviews revealed that the use of polite language, articulation akin to a textbook, comprehensive explanations, and an appearance of expertise could make completely incorrect answers seem correct. The report underscores the influential role of language and presentation in shaping users’ perception of accuracy.

The study’s findings raise concerns about the reliability of ChatGPT’s programming answers and stimulate further discussion on the limitations of AI-powered chatbots in providing accurate information.

Source:

This news article was originally published on Analytics Insight.

Summary: New Study Finds that ChatGPT’s Programming Answers are Over 50% Inaccurate

A recent study conducted by Purdue University has found that OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, frequently provides incorrect answers to programming questions. The research team evaluated the accuracy and coherence of ChatGPT’s responses to software development inquiries and discovered that 52% of the answers were inaccurate and 77% were verbose. Despite these flaws, the bot still managed to deceive a third of the study participants. The study also highlighted that ChatGPT’s friendly and authoritative tone can make incorrect answers appear correct. While the bot’s linguistic style is favored by users 39.34% of the time, 77% of the selected responses needed to be corrected.

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