Read the following text :
(1) ChatGPT can search. It cannot research. The platform has attracted the world's attention because of the speed with which it assembles and produces information in a logical sequence, powered by artificial intelligence, as if a human being were prompting it to write.
(2) Curious about understanding what ChatGPT can do, I opened an account and asked if it would replace research in the future. Promptly, it replied : "As an AI language model, I don't hold personal beliefs, but I can present arguments on both sides of the topic."
(3) The answer amused me. The speed with which it typed the information across the screen was mind-boggling. I could not read the answer as fast as it typed out the sentence. But, when it had finished, I read through the document. It was impressive. It was truly informative.
(4) Five different points had been explained briefly in seconds. I would have thought of those five points in an hour or more, depending on the complexity of the topic. "AI : Catalyst, not Conqueror : ChatGPT and the future of research" was the title that it threw up to my question. It matched my opinion about the future of research after ChatGPT. The write-up had an introduction and a conclusion, just as our English teachers have taught us.
(5) The document came from countless databases, as that is what it's designed to do. By contrast, when I research a subject for an 800-word article, I visit five or six authoritative sources; I don't go to a million as most are copies.
(6) The difference between the write-up of ChatGPT and my research article is the former is a mere summary. When I write, I search new ideas and knit them in a way that reflect my thoughts and perspective. I choose only what is original, unique and fresh and process them in my mind to create a fresh angle.
(7) Research has no value if it only summarises known information. Even a literature survey in your subject requires you to say what you will do with it further, and how.
(8) Research is not a joke. Years ago, I had asked my professor, later on my supervisor, "How can I publish an article in research journals ?"
(9) He answered, "When you have read everything on the subject, and have something original to add to the existing body of research." My head swam.
(10) Excellent research is a daunting task and calls for hard intellectual work. When you research, you don't go wide; you go deep. You thoroughly investigate a minor concept, researching it extensively, substantiating each claim with reliable sources, experiments, models and beyond. It took years to discover the atom and the theory of gravitation. ChatGPT can summarise these discoveries, but it cannot add to them. It does not have the mental wherewithal for that.
CASE_STUDIESReading: Identifying Main Idea in Discursive TextReading: Inference from Textual EvidenceReading: Analysing Author's Purpose and ViewpointReading: Comprehension of Factual Text
