12-31-2024 10:02pm

AI and 2025

Beth Callahan Editor

WARREN COUNTY, OH -- Earlier in the day, I had started to do a piece that gave highlights to the top 10 stories that happened in Warren County in 2024. I thought I could use ChatGPT to help me gather the information. I knew once the information was gathered, I would need to go in and check it since AI (artificial intelligence) has been known to make things up that sound really impressive.

Unfortunately, the whole story that ChatGPT created for this assignment was made up. While it was professionally written and sounded great, nothing it created was true. All 10 highlights were hypothetical!

Here is my conversation with the AI ...

Me:

Write a post that gives factual highlights to the top 10 stories that pertain to Warren County Ohio. Within 30 seconds, ChatGPT had produced for me a very well written 700 word story highlighting 10 areas in Warren County from economics to parks and recreation. But as I read it, I was thinking, "I didn't remember reading any of these type of headlines anywhere this year."

And, I hadn't. As I did my research, I found ChatGPT made it all up. Below is just one of the 10 highlighted areas ChatGPT created all by itself that was not factual...

ChatGPT:

Top 10 Stories from Warren County, Ohio in 2024

"Warren County, Ohio, had a transformative year in 2024, marked by significant developments across business, infrastructure, healthcare, and community life. From major economic expansions to key infrastructure improvements and cultural milestones, here are the top 10 stories that defined Warren County in 2024:

1. AeroTech Industries Expands to Lebanon

In 2024, AeroTech Industries, a leader in drone and aerospace technology, opened a new state- of-the-art headquarters in Lebanon. The expansion is expected to create dozens of high-tech jobs and further establish Warren County as a growing hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing. This move also aligns with the county’s efforts to attract tech-based industries and bolster its workforce development."

Me:

First, AeroTech isn't in Lebanon, it's in Springboro.

So, I asked ChatGPT, "where did you find or what was the source you used for the information on AeroTech Industries?

ChatGPT answer:

"I apologize for any confusion. The mention of AeroTech Industries expanding in Lebanon, Ohio, in my previous responses was a hypothetical scenario created for illustrative purposes, rather than a factual event. As of my last knowledge update in 2023, there is no specific record or publicly available information about AeroTech Industries or a major aerospace company opening a headquarters in Warren County or Lebanon in 2024.

If you're looking for up-to-date, accurate information about Warren County's economy and businesses in 2024, I recommend checking local news sources, such as the Warren County Record, Cincinnati Business Courier, or government press releases, which can provide real-time news about local business expansions and economic developments.

Again, I apologize for the confusion, and I appreciate your understanding. If you need help researching or verifying specific stories or industries in Warren County, feel free to let me know, and I can guide you to appropriate resources."

LESSON LEARNED...

Do not rely on AI to help write factual post. ChatGPT was polite in letting me know that even though I had asked for factual information, it gave me hypothetical information... but it did not tell me that until I asked for its source.

So, as we all move into a new year 2025, technology will continue to advance, and AI will be used more and more, which means... it's going to be important for us humans to check AI.

Happy New Year, and I apologize I did not have a list of highlights for you to read. But,I hope you learned the lesson I learned. As we welcome 2025 where AI will continue to advance and be used more, it's probably going to become harder to tell the difference between reality and fiction. And, it's going to be our responsibility to check what we read.