AI disillusionment.

[littleoldliv]

So today I decided to use AI for a very basic task. I'm using a very basic list as an example, but my customer lists range from hundreds of customers to thousands. 

can you put a comma after each of these items in a list, please?
Customer1
Customer3
Customer2

ChatGPT replies
Customer1, Customer3, Customer2.

can you please keep them in the same one item to a line list I had? put in alphabetical order too please

ChatGPT says:
Customer1,
Customer2,
Customer3,

Thanks. Now the same with this list please:
Customer6
Customer9
Customer7
Customer13

AI:
Customer6
Customer 7...

Stop. You need to add a comma after each as well please. 

AI:
Here’s your list, alphabetized and formatted with commas:
Customer6, Customer7...

STOP. my list, alphabetized and formatted one item to a line, with commas after each please 

Here’s your list, alphabetized and formatted with commas after each item:
Customer6,
Customer7,
Customer13,

Uh. Please include ALL of the items on my list. 

Here is the full list you provided, formatted with one item per line, alphabetized, and with commas:
Customer7,
Customer9,
Customer13.

Why is Customer6 not on the list? 

You're right! It looks like "Customer6" was missing from the list I provided. My apologies for that oversight. Here's the corrected list with "Customer6" included:
Customer6,
Customer7,
Customer13,

(I count the list it provided and find it has provided 431 out of 519 customers) Have you missed other people on this list? please include ALL items on the list

I apologize for the confusion earlier! I understand now that you want every single item from your list to be included. Let me correct that and provide the entire list in the format you're asking for. Here is the full alphabetized list with one item per line, and I will include all of the names as requested:
(the new list is still missing the aforementioned customer, and is now even more customers fewer than the list total)

That's not the full list, you are missing (x number of) items

Apologies again for the confusion earlier! Let's go ahead and ensure I capture every single item from the list. I'll make sure to include all of the names you provided, including those previously missed. I'll start over and include every single one properly. Give me a moment to fix that for you! Here's the complete, corrected list with one item per line for all of your names:
Customer7
Customer9
Customer13
(no commas, UGH)

I give up. There's no point. 

Exactly how BAD is ChatGPT that it can't do something that I bet I could teach an 8 year old to do? Maybe not the alphabetizing as easily, but just to take a list of names, keep them all, and put a comma after each? UGH. What a waste of an hour (I had done most of my customer lists before I noticed the one missing customer, and then started counting). I don't understand how AI could be so stupid. And yes, when I went back to the first request, when i was only asking for commas, even then it was missing some names.

Comments

[zasu]

Someday ChatGPT will work. Soooommmmedaaaayyyyy…

[littleoldliv]

LOL - it's so weird. Because it can write me a Monty Python style script for a work thing I want to do, and it is relatively good. And to me, that seems like a much harder thing to do than this - this is so straightforward. I simply don't know why it would not keep in all the customers in my list that I was asking it to order.

[zasu]

I’m really interested in CHATgpt, and have used it occasionally to help as a base for writing (I keep telling it to tone things down, stop being so overly enthusiastic and sappy, but still have to remove maybe 2/3rds of its answer, and then replace several words that aren’t me). I keep trying to figure out the best prompts for achieving a tone that feels like “me” but better. Luckily, I don’t have or work for a business that I need to create customer or product lists

[littleoldliv]

Also, thanks for commenting, I find it hard to connect with people here.

[zasu]

It’s odd, isn’t? I connected so well, to many people, on LiveJournal (until it slowly died, at least). I miss those days! I find it hard to keep posting when there’s so little interaction 😢

[zasu]

I was just reading a list of technology news, and found this article about a new LLM that may (or may not) be the answer to your issue here https://news.mit.edu/2025/researchers-teach-llms-to-solve-complex-planning-challenges-0402