In this episode we dig into why ChatGPT sometimes gives you garbage outputs and what you can do about it. From hallucinations and drift to bad prompts and long chats, we’ll cover the common pitfalls, what to do when it sucks, and how the imperfections of AI might actually be keeping your own skills sharp.

Main Topics Covered

• WTF moments with bad ChatGPT outputs
• Why it’s math, not magic (probability, tokens, predictions)
• Hallucinations and why “AI slop” happens
• Improving your prompts
• Memory checks and correcting drift
• When to start a new chat
• The importance of knowing your own stuff
• Skills-of-operation vs skills-of-understanding
• Historical parallels: calculators, smartphones, cameras
• A solution to the concern about outsourcing thinking and expression
• Weekly use case: Joe’s meal planning with ChatGPT

Links & Resources for This Episode

• Listen to Ep. 1: What You Actually Need to Know about ChatGPT
• Listen to Ep. 8: Getting ChatGPT to Do What You Want
• Listen to Ep. 9: Helpful ChatGPT Features You Might Not Know About
• Read this episode's Curious Companion
• Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity Newsletter
• Submit a Question
• Visit the Website
• Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast.