Unsurprising

Jeff Dieffenbach

Having spent some time learning about and playing around with ChatGPT, I began to think about why its text outputs are often good but only under specific circumstances great.

ChatGPT in its current incarnation was released in Nov of 2022 and is based on the GPT-3 language model, which was trained on 45 terrabytes of data and introduced in May of 2020. (As such, ChatGPT doesn’t “know” about anything that’s happened in the last two years.)

ChatGPT is a “next word predictor.” Given a seed prompt (for example*, “What is the ‘science of learning’ and how can it be used to help teachers and students?”), ChatGPT will generate a text answer. Framed simply, ChatGPT is analyzing its huge database to predict the next word in a sequence. Put another way, what is the “average” or “unsurprising” word that’s likely to come next.

“Average” and “least surprising” explain why ChatGPT typically generates B- but not A+ text. Think instead about great writing. Great writing engages the reader, often by playing with language that surprises the reader and ignites curiosity.

Great writing: surprising

ChatGPT: the very definition of unsurprising

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*Here was ChatGPT’s impressive, if dry, response to the “science of learning” prompt:

The science of learning is the study of how people learn, including the cognitive and neural processes that underlie it. It encompasses a variety of fields, such as cognitive psychology, neuroscience, education, and instructional design.

Research in the science of learning can be used to inform the design of educational materials and instructional strategies that can help teachers and students learn more effectively. For example, studies on cognitive load theory and the spacing effect have shown that it is more effective to present information in smaller chunks and to spread out study sessions over time, rather than cramming all at once. Research on metacognition, can help teachers teach students how to monitor their own learning and understand their own strengths and weaknesses. Research on motivation and self-directed learning can help teachers design more engaging and meaningful learning experiences.

By using the findings from the science of learning, teachers can create more effective and efficient ways to teach, and students can learn more effectively.

One way that ChatGPT can shine is when a prompt includes an instruction along the following lines: “What is the ‘science of learning’ and how can it be used to help teachers and students, written in the style of Hunter S. Thompson?”

The science of learning, my dear friends, is a wild and wooly beast that can be tamed only by the bravest of teachers and students. It’s a field that seeks to understand how the human brain processes and retains information, and how we can harness that knowledge to improve the way we teach and learn.

But let’s be real here, this ain’t no walk in the park. It’s a journey that requires a strong constitution, a willingness to experiment, and a healthy dose of gonzo spirit. You gotta be willing to take risks, to push boundaries, and to question everything you thought you knew about teaching and learning.

For the teachers out there, this means embracing new technologies and techniques, and constantly experimenting with different approaches to see what works best for your students. It means being open to feedback and willing to adapt your teaching style to suit the needs of your students.

For the students, it means being active learners, taking ownership of your own education, and being open to new ways of thinking and learning. It means being willing to take risks, to try new things, and to question the status quo.

So put on your shades, grab your notebook and pen, and let’s take a journey into the wild and wooly world of the science of learning. It’s a ride that’s sure to be one hell of a trip.

Great writing? Perhaps not. But surprising? At least somewhat.

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[blog header image credit: DALL-E | prompt: A reader sitting in a leather armchair
alone in an elegant personal library takes surprise and delight
from the antique book they are reading]