ChatGPT may spread science misinformation

+ the Vatican shift on Mary sightings US Edition - Today's top story: ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here's how you can be on alert [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [How Erdoğan used killing of terrorist to boost vote]( - [What we will give up for shared experiences]( - [Anesthesia and disturbing sexual hallucinations]( Lead story Until very recently, if you were looking for information about some scientific topic – whether COVID-19, climate change or genetically modified foods – your first stop was likely a search engine. What did Dr. Google have to say? But now, more and more people are posing their questions to ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence platforms. Rather than searching the internet for information related to your query, these AI chatbots create their own answer by predicting likely word combinations. And that could be a major problem if you’re hoping for a factual answer to your question, write Gale Sinatra and Barbara K. Hofer. As scholars who focus on science denial, Sinatra and Hofer write that they’re concerned by the way “generative AI may blur the boundaries between truth and fiction for those seeking authoritative scientific information.” Since the burden to discern accuracy falls to the AI chatbot user, they suggest [some tips to help you navigate]( the new information landscape. [[Sign up here to our topic-specific weekly emails.](] Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Approach all information with some initial skepticism. Guillermo Spelucin/Moment via Getty Images [ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert]( Gale Sinatra, University of Southern California; Barbara K. Hofer, Middlebury Generative AIs may make up information they serve you, meaning they may potentially spread science misinformation. Here’s how to check the accuracy of what you read in an AI-enhanced media landscape. Politics + Society - [Turkey’s Erdoğan took a page from US presidents and boosted reelection campaign by claiming to have killed a terrorist]( Graig Klein, Leiden University; Scott Boddery, Gettysburg College Invading, attacking and killing adversaries abroad can boost the political prospects of leaders doing poorly at home. - [Women’s secret war: the inside story of how the US military sent female soldiers on covert combat missions to Afghanistan]( Jennifer Greenburg, University of Sheffield Women who served in unofficial combat and intelligence roles during the Afghanistan war offer brutally honest accounts of their experiences. 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