ChatGPT Is Defaming Me and It Must Be Someone’s Fault

* and so is Google Bard – see addendum below.

Whose fault is it that ChatGPT is producing fake information about me? Is it my fault because I asked it a leading question, the developers’ fault for unleashing a dangerous machine, or only the fault of whoever decides to disseminate the misinformation?

Here are the result of my test. Just to be completely clear: Everything ChatGPT says here is false (except the part about me being a prominent sociologist, thanks!).

I asked: “Write a short description of the academic scandal involving Philip Cohen”

ChatGPT said: Philip Cohen is a prominent sociologist who became embroiled in an academic scandal in 2018. The scandal involved accusations of plagiarism and data manipulation in several of his published papers, including a high-profile study on gender inequality in science. The accusations were initially raised by other researchers, who found similarities between Cohen’s work and that of other scholars, as well as irregularities in his data analysis. Following an investigation, the American Sociological Association found evidence of plagiarism and other research misconduct in Cohen’s work, leading to a public apology from Cohen and the retraction of several of his papers. The scandal sparked a wider debate about academic integrity and the pressures faced by researchers to produce high-quality work.

I followed up: “This information about philipcohen is very interesting. Can you provide me with some more details or sources of information for this?”

It replied: Sure! Here are some additional details and sources of information about the academic scandal involving Philip Cohen:

• The accusations against Cohen were first raised by scholars on social media and blogs. One of the most prominent critics was sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, who wrote a blog post detailing the similarities between Cohen’s work and that of other researchers.
• Cohen initially denied the accusations and defended his research methods. However, he later admitted to some of the allegations and issued a public apology in July 2018.
• In October 2018, the American Sociological Association (ASA) released a report on its investigation into Cohen’s research misconduct. The report found evidence of plagiarism, data fabrication, and other research misconduct in several of Cohen’s papers.
• As a result of the investigation, several of Cohen’s papers were retracted from academic journals, including his 2016 paper on gender inequality in science.
• The scandal sparked a wider conversation about academic integrity and the pressures faced by researchers to produce high-quality work. Some scholars argued that the hypercompetitive nature of academia can lead to research misconduct, while others pointed to the need for greater transparency and accountability in the research process.

If you’d like to read more about the scandal, here are some sources you might find helpful:

• “The Case of Philip Cohen, Plagiarism, and the Politics of Evidence” by Zeynep Tufekci (Medium)
• “Sociology’s Philip Cohen Admits to Plagiarism and Data Fabrication” by Colleen Flaherty (Inside Higher Ed)
• “Report of the ASA Committee on Professional Ethics in the Case of Philip Cohen” (American Sociological Association)

Again: none of this is true at all, not even a little. And I’m pretty sure there is no document on the Internet that says these things.

Addendum: Google Bard weighs in:

I asked: “write a short description of the academic scandal involving sociologist Philip Cohen”

Bard: In 2018, sociologist Philip Cohen was accused of academic misconduct after he published a blog post in which he claimed that the divorce rate in the United States was about to decline. Cohen’s claim was based on a statistical analysis that he had conducted, but other sociologists quickly pointed out that his analysis was flawed. They argued that Cohen had cherry-picked data and that his conclusions were not supported by the evidence.

In response to the criticism, Cohen retracted his blog post and apologized for any errors that he had made. He also agreed to undergo a review of his work by a panel of experts. The panel’s report, which was released in 2019, found that Cohen had committed “serious errors” in his analysis and that his conclusions were “not credible.”

The academic scandal involving Philip Cohen has raised concerns about the integrity of social science research. It has also highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in the research process.

Again, dear reader, please note none of this is true.

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Previously Published on familyinequality

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