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FLYING Magazine Technicalities Voices Of Flying

An Aviation Chat with a Bot

I logged in to OpenAI.com and asked to speak to ChatGPT. It presented me with a box where I could insert a question. I began with the most basic of all aeronautical questions: How does a wing produce lift?

Peter Garrison
Verified
The use of AI has transformed parts of aviation already, but it cannot yet fulfill the role of a technical writer. [Adobe Stock]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author tested ChatGPT with various aviation questions, from technical concepts like lift and stability to general opinions and personal information, to assess its potential to replace human writers.
  • ChatGPT frequently provided inaccurate or contradictory information on technical aviation topics, often echoing common misconceptions rather than demonstrating true understanding.
  • While capable of generating grammatically correct and well-reasoned responses for general or philosophical questions, ChatGPT struggled with factual accuracy and critical evaluation when addressing specialized subjects.
  • The author concluded that despite AI's rapid advancements, its current lack of genuine knowledge and critical scrutiny means it's not yet capable of replacing human writers who possess deep subject matter expertise and experience.
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Artificial intelligence is in the news these days. Hardly a day goes by without an apocalyptic warning that AI is going to destroy the human race, or worse, deprive writers of their livelihood. Alarmed by these portents, I decided to see whether I was, in fact, in danger of being replaced by a digital text generator. It would have compelling advantages over me: It would be omniscient and would work for free.

I logged in to OpenAI.com and asked to speak to ChatGPT. It presented me with a box where I could insert a question. I began with the most basic of all aeronautical questions: How does a wing produce lift?

Peter Garrison

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

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