ChatGPT hates Pennsylvania

ChatGPT is struggling with map directions that were easily available in the 1990s.

Here's my story.

Back in the day, I taught my son how to read a map. We bought a MapQuest CD, and plotted out our road trips, printing out maps and selecting cool things to see along the way. I imagined a world where I could have a map overlay with lat/long for coffee shops cuz I love me my morning brew. Way ahead of my time! It was partially analog / partially digital. But MapQuest directions were accurate and correct. It. Just. Worked.

So I thought I'd try to the do the same thing with ChatGPT; I created a prompt asking for a 4 day trip between Hauppauge, NY and Denver, CO and asked it for the deets. What I found out, is that ChatGPT hates Pennsylvania. And the midwest, too, I guess.

The route (see the image above) largely avoids PA altogether, as much as possible, and even though the first 3 days are shown with about 6 hours and 400 miles of driving, on Day 4, ChatGPT suggests we fly through the 15 hours of the midwest to make Indianapolis to Denver in one fell swoop. Exhausting!!

ChatGPT

• Day 1 - 6hrs 391 milesDay 2 - 6 hrs, 408 milesDay 3 - 5 1/2 hrs - 359 milesDay 4 - 1084 - 15 hrs

I ran the same query with the current online version of MapQuest, and the result, although not suggesting where to stop each day, was much shorter (by over 400 miles) and much straighter.

Also, MapQuest seemed 100% cool with Pennsylvania. The solution didn't seem to require circumventing PA and, coming in at 1,825 miles total, was superior to the ChatGPT route by over 400 miles.

This is a cautionary tale for AI users. You can't assume something that has existed in technology for decades will necessarily be rendered correctly by AI. Check. And double check. And be cautiously pessimistic.

Or just re-visit the 90's....

Have a great day, #data peeps!