ChatGPT is not wrong!
This is the sort of interesting leap that makes AI super interesting to me. I could see it being very useful in helping humans move the state of the art forward in areas where human lexical taxonomy has caused us to make some assumptions which blind us to other potential solutions.
> ChatGPT: No, a cannon does not inflate when it fires. Inflate means to fill something with air or gas, whereas a cannon uses gunpowder to create an explosion that propels a projectile out of the barrel. The explosion in a cannon is a rapid release of gas, which can cause the barrel of the cannon to expand slightly, but it does not inflate in the sense of being filled with air or gas.
ChatGPT produces really great sounding answers, but consistency is not a goal.
If anything, this answer is extraordinarily impressive because, although it decided to be a stickler for definitions this time, it reaffirms the metaphor that it invented last time. In other words, it seems reasonable to conclude that in some sense it "knows" that the barrel of the cannon expands slightly (a fact it implied but neglected to mention last time), and can use this to make inferences.
>Please describe the similarities and differences of the following two items: A beach ball and a howitzer cannon.
What follows is the response from ChatGPT. For just about the first time I legitimately feel like this beats the turing test.
>A beach ball and a howitzer cannon are two very different objects, and they have very few similarities. A beach ball is a small, inflatable ball that is typically used for recreational purposes, such as playing on the beach or in a pool. A howitzer cannon, on the other hand, is a large, heavy artillery weapon that is used to fire shells over long distances.
>One of the main differences between a beach ball and a howitzer cannon is their size and weight. A beach ball is small and lightweight, while a howitzer cannon is large and extremely heavy. Another difference is their intended use. A beach ball is designed for play and entertainment, while a howitzer cannon is designed for warfare and destruction.
>One possible similarity between the two objects is that they both can be inflated, although this is done for very different reasons. A beach ball is inflated with air to make it bouncy and fun to play with, while a howitzer cannon is typically loaded with gunpowder and other explosives, which are ignited to launch a shell. However, even this similarity is quite tenuous, as the methods of inflation and the materials used are vastly different for the two objects.