This morning I asked ChatGPT a simple question:
“What Chrome extension is this ID tied to?”
Harmless, right?
Just a lil’ extension sleuthing to start the day. No biggie.
And ChatGPT, with the absolute confidence of a golden retriever guarding a stick, barks out:
“Ah yes! That’s SmashJacker, the notorious malware that hijacks browsers, locks down your settings, and makes you think Big Brother is running your Google Chrome.”
I choked on my coffee.
I frantically started checking settings. Had I been jacked? Was my browser being secretly run by a shadowy syndicate of password-stealing hackers with a fondness for the word “Smash”?
Nope.
ChatGPT just had the wrong extension ID. Like, completely wrong.
I pointed this out, calmly and politely (fine, maybe with a mildly accusatory “liar”), and it apologized…
…and then lied again.
This time, it insisted the extension was Grammarly.
It was not.
I showed it a screenshot of what it really was — my password manager — and only then did it go,
“Oh… OHHHH… right. My bad.”
Thanks, bud. Glad we cleared that up after my cortisol levels broke through the roof.
This wasn’t a fluke either.
Later that night, I’m editing a blog on SQLAlchemy — you know, the Swiss Army knife of Python database tools.
ChatGPT confidently states:
“According to Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey, SQLAlchemy consistently ranks among the top Python libraries in backend web development.”
Nice! Except… that isn’t true.
I tore through the 2023 survey like a caffeinated raccoon — https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#professional-developers — nothing.
No SQLAlchemy. Not even in the small print.
I asked ChatGPT again.
It doubled down: “It’s definitely there!”
Then pivoted: “Well… it’s in the raw data, probably.”
I didn’t even check. By now, I wouldn’t trust it to correctly identify peanut butter.
Look, I love ChatGPT.
It’s like that friend who’s really smart and really persuasive… but also completely full of it 40% of the time and doesn’t know when to shut up.
It’ll spin a believable lie, then apologize with the sincerity of a cat knocking something off a shelf while making direct eye contact.
So here’s my advice:
Enjoy the blog, have a laugh, learn a thing or two…
But do not — under any circumstances — believe that it’s gospel truth.
And if you do catch it lying, let me know in the comments. I’m building a scrapbook.
Art Prompt:
A sun-drenched café scene by a riverside, captured in the golden haze of late afternoon. Gentle brushstrokes reminiscent of Sisley ripple through the reflections in the water, as parasols cast lilac-tinted shadows on the cobblestones. Women in flowing dresses and men in straw hats sip coffee and chat, their faces softened by the warm glow. The sky is a swirl of pale blues and rose gold, blurring into the river with dreamlike transitions. Trees arch overhead in loose, wind-kissed shapes, their leaves dappling light across the scene with subtle flickers. The entire image exudes serenity and quiet joy, as if the moment is stretching just a little longer than time should allow.
If you’ve ever been misled by a very confident chatbot, drop a comment below — I want to hear everything.
And hey, if you like snarky rants about rogue extensions and rogue-er AI, follow me for more. I can’t promise accuracy, but I can guarantee entertainment.