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ChatGPT Returns Meaningless Messages For Hours As Users Enjoy The Chaos

ChatGPT Returns Meaningless Messages For Hours As Users Enjoy The Chaos

The popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) system from OpenAI had a minor public meltdown on Feb. 20 and 21, confusing and perplexing users with random word babble and other strange things.

The artificial intelligence (AI) tool has been chatting incoherently in Spanish, answering queries with lengthy and meaningless texts in recent hours.

Also read: Tinder Tightens Verification as AI Scams Increase

However, there is no clear indication of why the issue happened. But its creators said they were aware of the problem and were keeping an eye on the situation.

OpenAI responds

After scrambling to contain the damage, OpenAI announced that a software update had “introduced a bug with how the model processes language.” The company added that upon identifying the cause of this incident, they rolled out a fix and confirmed that the incident was resolved.

In a discussion on the OpenAI Developer Form, developers using the tool said that ChatGPT was giving “peculiar” responses, generating non-existent words, incomplete sentences, and general gobbledygook. According to one of the developers, it gives him meaningless words followed by a bizarre list. It feels as if his GPT is haunted or something has been compromised, either on his end or at OpenAI’s end.

Additionally, some users said the artificially generated bot was even returning prose in Spanish or text that was returned in both Spanish and English.

A user said that every prompt he now gives returns something of a real answer, and then it just digresses into nonsense and some kind of weird slang, usually followed with a few emojis as well. Even asking it, “What’s up with ChatGPT today?” and the discussion is called ‘Problemas Comunes’ (?).

OpenAI only updated the page that ChatGPT was operating normally after more than 16 hours had passed.

In response to an AFP query, the San Francisco-based technology firm sent a reporter to the ChatGPT status page.

ChatGPT’s gibberish responses

All kinds of emotions are evoked in a public crash-and-burn moment. While some users enjoyed the outrageous responses, others teased ChatGPT’s expense, and some even sympathized with its plight.

OpenAI Developer Forum user Moleculardrugs said that these are really interesting and useful outputs he’s getting, and it would be nice to see a feature where they could toggle the button for more unexpected responses. He added that he approves of these responses, and they seem to be a nice addition (if they were ever added as such) to ChatGPT.

However, an X (formerly Twitter) user agreed. The user said OpenAI should make this a permanent feature.

OpenAI closes a deal

After a turbulent year, OpenAI recently concluded a deal with investors that reportedly valued the start-up at $80 billion or more. Although OpenAI has not confirmed the deal, it would mean the value of the company would have nearly tripled in under ten months.

OpenAI ignited an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution when it launched its ChatGPT program online in late 2022. The interface’s instant success generated a lot of interest in advanced technology, which could generate text, audio, and images on demand.

Image credits: Shutterstock, CC images, Midjourney, Unsplash.

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