Post History

Now that we've had a few of these answers, I really don't like them.

It seems there are three separate problems with the ChatGPT answers we have seen:<ol>

<li><b>Quote-only.</b>  Just like we don't allow link-only answers, we shouldn't allow quote-only answers.  Someone answering here needs to provide insight of their own.  There can be value in finding a good reference to quote from, but that should come with at least some commentary of why the source is credible, how it was found, how that fits with personal experience or knowledge, etc.

Anyone can look up a question on the internet and copy whatever answers pop up.  That's not adding much value, and without vetting, can be negative value.  This is not what we want this site to be.  We want answers based at least on some personal contribution.

We want the kind of answers that others will quote.

<li><b>Not definitive.</b>  Quoting should be done from sources that are reputable, vetted, and there is reasonable cause for considering the answer well-informed.  ChatGPT is none of these. We don't know what data sources were drawn on, nor what inferences were made.  We are not hearing the voice of experience or credible expertise.

While it might be valid to use AI to find inferences you didn't think of, those inferences are only starting points for investigation, not ready-made answers.  Quoting them as if they were the latter is likely more damaging to a store of knowledge than useful.

<li><b>Just plain lazy.</b>  If you're not going to put some personal effort, expertise, or report of personal experience into an answer, then we don't want you.  Lazy answerers are not helpful in building a community of contributors.  These are not the type of users we want to interact with here.

</ol>

I therefore propose that quoting ChatGPT be banned, except possibly for small snippets with significant discussion added by the answerer.