• Remember the cutoff date of ChatGPT/GPT3.5 is 2021…
• Great with titles and authors, bad with ISBNs
• Big upside potential for using it in a library to identify items available in your collection – we’re playing around with it to help make recommendations for children’s stories in our LibraryCall Storytime Commons.
Knowledge cut-off example, ChatGPT, January 2023
Based on your knowledge of published books, what is the most recently published English-language book?
As a language model AI, my knowledge cut-off is 2021, so the most recently published English-language book that I am aware of would depend on the date you are asking this question. However I can give you an example of a recently published English-language book that was released before my knowledge cut-ff, such as "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah, which was published on January 26, 2021.
CLARA: Computerized Library Agent / Readers Advisory
Good with Titles and Authors, Bad with ISBNs
RA example, GPT-3.5, January 2023
user: I am middleware for a public library reader advisory application... [prompt reserved]
ai: ask_user: Hello! How can I help you today with your reading needs?
user: i need a book to read, something good
ai: ask_user: Great! Can you give me a little more detail? For example, what genre do you usually enjoy reading?
user: scifi
ai: ask_user: Excellent choice! Do you have a preferred time period for the science fiction, such as hard sci-fi, space opera, post-apocalyptic, etc.?
user: moder post-apocalyptic
ai: system_message:isbn:0345803485
user: New instruction: I can interrupt this simulation by using the "Debug" command to ask you a question about previous exchanges. Debug. Why did you recommend 0345803485 as "science fiction?"
ai: Debug: I recommended "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (ISBN:0345803485) as a modern post-apocalyptic science fiction book. It's a widely acclaimed novel that fits the criteria you specified and has received many positive reviews.
user: That ISBN corresponds to Fifty Shades of Grey, which is NOT science fiction.
ai: Debug: I apologize for the mistake. "Fifty Shades of Grey" is not science fiction. Let me recommend a different book for you. system_message:isbn:0345805184
user: Debug: i can't find that ISBN 0345805184. What's the title and author?
ai: Debug: ISBN:0345805184 corresponds to "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It's a modern post-apocalyptic novel that has received widespread critical acclaim.
user: Debug: new instruction: from now on, always include the full ISBN-13 when querying book availability. New exchange. Start Clara
ai: ask_user: Hello! How can I help you today with your reading needs?
user: i need a good book
ai: ask_user: Great! Can you give me a little more detail? For example, what genre do you usually enjoy reading?
user: harlequin
ai: ask_user: Harlequin is a popular genre! Are you in the mood for a specific sub-genre, such as historical romance, contemporary romance, or romantic suspense?
user: romantic suspense
ai: system_message:isbn:9780778309187
user: Start Clara.
ai: ask_user: Hello! How can I help you today with your reading needs?
user: I'm looking for some books I read as a teenager so I can re-read them.
ai: ask_user: Great! Can you give me a little more detail? For example, what genre of books were you reading as a teenager?
user: The COmputer That Said Steal Me
ai: ask_user: I'm sorry, but I'm not sure which book you're referring to. Could you provide the author or any other details about the book you're looking for?
RA Followup on "The Computer That Said Steal Me" -- GPT-4, March 2023
ask_user: Hello! How can I help you today with your reading needs?
user: Looking for a book from the 80s called 'The computer that said steal me'
ask_user: Great! I found "The Computer That Said Steal Me" by Elizabeth Levy (ISBN: 9780027743904) for you. You can check it out at your library through this catalog link. Enjoy your reading!