You search and search for a product that will check off all the boxes and can’t find it. And just when you’re ready to give up, another model arrives. Do you check out the new model or give up?
I had reached the give-up stage. Then I read the hype about the latest version of AI writers—Chat OpenAI. I have previously written about AI writers‘ failure to do what they advertise—write blog posts and articles with a few keystrokes (see another article here and here).
Did I want to waste more time? No. But curiosity got the better of me. So I typed “Are Exclamation Points Flirty?” Here was the response:
“Exclamation marks can be used to show strong emotion or emphasis in writing, but whether or not exclamation points are perceived as flirty depends on the context in which they are used. In general, using exclamation marks in a flirty or playful way can add enthusiasm and excitement to a message, and can potentially be perceived as flirty by the recipient. However, it is important to be mindful of the tone and context of the communication, as using exclamation marks excessively or in an inappropriate way can come across as insincere or aggressive. It is always a good idea to be aware of how your words and punctuation choices may be interpreted by the recipient.”
I wasn’t satisfied with that answer. So are Exclamation Points flirty?
I tried again. All the other AI writers have been given this topic—5 Fun Facts About Exclamation Marks. Why not let Chat.OpenAI try?
Chat OpenAI’s Short Post on Fun Facts About Exclamation Marks
Chat OpenAI provided me with this short post:
Sure! Here are five fun facts about exclamation marks:
- The exclamation mark is also known as the “exclamation point” or “bang” in some parts of the world. It is used to indicate strong emotion, emphasis, or surprise.
- The exclamation mark was first used in ancient Greek manuscripts, where it was called the “exclamation of joy” or “joy mark.” It was later adopted by the Romans and has been used in various forms in different languages ever since.
- In English, exclamation marks are used sparingly, as overuse can make the text appear unprofessional or exaggerated. In some other languages, such as Spanish, exclamation marks are used more frequently.
- In computing, the exclamation mark is often used as a logical NOT operator, meaning “not equal to” or “not true.” For example, the command “if a!=b” means “if a is not equal to b.”
- The exclamation mark is also used in some emoticons, such as “:)” to indicate a happy face and “:D” to indicate a big grin.
How Did the AI Do with Facts?
- Ok. So the use of “bang” is somewhat accurate—if you are a hacker. In the 1950s, the term bang was briefly used. We see it now in the word interrobang.
- Yes, it was first used in Greek manuscripts, to express joy. It was not called a joy mark.
- It might be more accurate to say that in some languages, like Spanish, the inverted exclamation mark is used at both the beginning and end of sentences. Therefore, it is used more frequently.
- OpenAI did get #4 correct. It tends to be very accurate on computer concepts. Surprised?
- I am still looking for the exclamation mark in the smiley face or big grin.
And I still don’t know if exclamation points are flirty.
Thoughts on OpenAI and Its Ability to Write
Not satisfied with the results, I asked it to write one fact at a time. The results are below if you are interested. I wanted a piece of content that added value for the reader. Many sites have good, detailed explanations of exclamation marks and how to use them. I did not want to write another article with the same information.
What do I think about the latest iteration of GPT? I have several thoughts.
The ability to write longer, more human-like prose is impressive. I can see it speeding up the writing process as writers feed prompts into the “chat.”
Accuracy rates, as you can see, vary depending on the topic. It still gathers information from the internet that it believes applies to your topic and then generates a response. It cannot reason, nor can it fact-check.
It is currently free, but I doubt that will last. Companies that sell AI writing assistants will eventually have to purchase access, meaning writers and bloggers will have to pay to have their blog posts written in mere minutes. OpenAI has not kept earlier versions of its GPT models free, and doing so would not fit into its business model.
But here is my greatest fear—the internet will be littered with articles written by AI “writers” who cannot tell fact from fiction. As a result, the articles will have mistakes. And readers will think a human wrote the article, and they won’t bother to fact-check.
The internet can become the equivalent of early Wikipedia pages before topics were fact-checked by editors of the page. In the early days, users relied on the cited sources if they wanted to fact-check.
But if a reader cannot tell the difference between human and machine-written content, how can they know whether fact-checking is necessary?
And how many mistakes does it make? I asked the OpenAI chat and received the following response:
“As a language model, I do not have personal experiences or physical senses, so I am not capable of making factual errors in the same way that a human can. I can only provide information and responses based on the data that I have been trained on. However, it is possible that some of the information that I provide may be outdated or incorrect or may not apply to a particular situation or context. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of the information that I provide, I recommend verifying it with a reliable source.”
Chat OpenAI’s article on 5 Fun Facts About Exclamation Marks
Here’s something you might not know about exclamation marks:
In the English language, exclamation marks are used to indicate strong feelings or emotions, such as excitement, surprise, or emphasis. They are also used to draw attention to a statement or exclamation. For example:
Wow! That was amazing! (excitement)
Oh no! I forgot my keys! (surprise)
Pay attention! This is important! (emphasis)
Exclamation marks can be used at the end of a sentence, or they can be placed after a word or phrase to indicate strong emphasis. However, it is generally considered good style to use exclamation marks sparingly, as overuse can make them less effective and can make writing appear overly dramatic or expressive. In formal writing, exclamation marks are usually used sparingly or not at all.
(I was hoping to learn if exclamation points are flirty. Oh well.)
Here’s something else you might not know about exclamation marks:
In the English language, exclamation marks are not the only punctuation marks that can be used to indicate strong feelings or emotions. Interjections, which are words or phrases that express strong feelings or emotions, can also be followed by an exclamation mark. For example:
Hurray! We won the game! (excitement)
Wow! That was a close call! (surprise)
Ouch! That hurts! (pain)
Exclamation marks can also be used in combination with other punctuation marks to convey different meanings or emotions. For example:
“What the hell?!” (anger or surprise)
“I can’t believe it!” (surprise or disbelief)
Using exclamation marks in combination with other punctuation marks can add emphasis or emotion to a statement or exclamation, but it is important to use them sparingly and appropriately to avoid overuse or misuse.
Here’s something else you might not know about exclamation marks:
In some languages, exclamation marks are used differently than they are in English. In Spanish, for example, exclamation marks are used more frequently than they are in English, and they can be used at the beginning and end of a sentence to indicate strong feelings or emotions. In French, exclamation marks are used in a similar way, but they are not placed at the beginning of a sentence. In German, exclamation marks are used less frequently than they are in English and are only placed at the end of a sentence.
In addition to indicating strong feelings or emotions, exclamation marks can also be used to indicate surprise or to express a command or request. In some languages, exclamation marks are also used to indicate irony or sarcasm. However, the use of exclamation marks can vary depending on the language and cultural context, and it is important to use them appropriately to convey the intended meaning or emotion.
Here is something else you might not know about exclamation marks:
Exclamation marks, also known as exclamation points, have a long history dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. In classical Latin, exclamation marks were represented by a single vertical line (|), which was used to indicate a strong emotion or emphasis. In medieval Latin, the exclamation mark evolved into a punctus exclamativus, which consisted of a vertical line with a diagonal slash through it (!). This mark was used in much the same way as the modern exclamation mark, to indicate strong feelings or emotions such as surprise, excitement, or emphasis.
The exclamation mark was first introduced into the English language in the late 16th century, where it was used to indicate strong feelings or emotions in much the same way as it is used today. It was not widely used in English until the 19th century, when it began to be more widely accepted and adopted in written communication.
In modern times, the exclamation mark is used in many languages to indicate strong feelings or emotions, as well as to express surprise, irony, or sarcasm. It is an important punctuation mark that helps to convey the tone and emotion of written communication.
Here are a few more things you might find interesting about exclamation marks:
In some programming languages, the exclamation mark is used as a logical operator, meaning “not.” For example, in the programming language C, the exclamation mark is used to negate a logical expression.
In mathematics, the exclamation mark is used to indicate a factorial. A factorial is the product of all the positive integers from 1 up to a given number. For example, the factorial of 5 is 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1, which equals 120.
In some typesetting systems, the exclamation mark is used as a spacing character to indicate a word space.
In some cultures, the exclamation mark is used to indicate excitement or enthusiasm. In other cultures, it is considered to be impolite or aggressive to use exclamation marks excessively.
In some languages, the exclamation mark is used to indicate the end of a sentence, rather than a period (.). This is the case in Spanish, where the exclamation mark is used to indicate the end of a sentence that expresses strong feelings or emotions.
I hope these additional facts about exclamation marks are interesting and informative! If you have any other questions about exclamation marks or any other topic, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m here to help!
Bottom Line
Try it out while you can. Then let me know if you find this AI writer helpful. Or answer me this–are exclamation points flirty.
