How ChatGPT can sometimes give unintended answers

Using ChatGPT for software development queries in daily life significantly accelerates and simplifies your work. I use it every day, and it's incredibly helpful. Incorporating chat-based functionality makes it exceptionally useful compared to the traditional method of searching, like using Google to find information on a topic and receiving a response. However, Google search doesn't allow for follow-up questions or queries within the same context. ChatGPT, on the other hand, provides this capability, allowing you to comment on answers and ask further questions related to the topic, which enhances its utility in everyday life. Nonetheless, this approach sometimes gives unintended or incorrect answers, leading to complications. I've observed numerous instances where ChatGPT provides responses to queries without considering the context or accuracy of the answer. For instance, consider the simple example below: I have a list of my expenses and asked ChatGPT to calculate the total sum. Here's the output

Firstly, it gives me the wrong total, even though breaking it down is simple. The correct answer was 606.5. However, ChatGPT also warns us to be careful with the important information it provides, which is good advice.

Moreover, I continued the conversation and asked, "Show me the calculation."

To more worse, it gave me the wrong sum again, without even having to count it all over.

Finally, when I asked why, saying it should be 606.5, it gave me the right answer after I corrected it.

Surprisingly, when I said, "I think it's 602," it agreed again, calculating the wrong total once more.

This is just one simple example I shared with you, but it happens to me quite often, even in my everyday programming questions. Sometimes, when I get an error in the code based on ChatGPT's answer, and I paste the error, it tries to fix it without considering the context of the error or acts oddly. However, there are many times when it's really helpful. The main point of our discussion is to be careful when using answers generated by ChatGPT. Simply copying and pasting, even in simple situations like the one I showed you earlier, can lead to issues.

Here is the above conversation with ChatGPT.

Question: If any of you have ever encountered the same issue I'm discussing, please share your thoughts and ideas on how you deal with it. Also, are there any helpful prompts I can use with ChatGPT to make it more error-proof?