Skip to main content

ChatGPT 4o isn't a good researcher yet

I asked ChatGPT 4o for general recommendations for software release frequency, and it spouted out some information that seemed generally plausible. I asked it to cite its sources, and after an internet search it provided three links. I checked all three, and none of them contained the information that ChatGPT initially provided.

I replied with “None of those articles had the guidelines that you cited” and it responded back with more information and more links. I checked a few of them, but it was the same as before. They were on the same topic, but the information that ChatGPT provided was not sourced from those articles.

I don’t know what I expected, but it’s clear that ChatGPT 4o isn’t a reliable research assistant yet. It can provide you some common misconceptions information, but it isn’t going to point you to a true source consistently. You’re going to need to research for yourself.

Use with caution.