Monthly Archives: July 2023

Artificial Intelligence, U.S. Women's History

AI Summaries of PDFs Files

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I asked Claude 2 and ChatGPT-4 to outline some PDFs files.  And they do pretty well if the file is readable.  When the file is not readable, however, there is a major difference in output.

For example, when I asked ChatGPT-4 to write an outline of a file that contained Chapter 7 from Lillian Faderman’s books, Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers,  it told me: “I apologize for the inconvenience, but it appears that the text from the PDF file could not be extracted properly. The file might be composed of scanned images rather than selectable text, which would prevent the text extraction process from working.”

But when I asked Claude 2 to outline the same file this is what I got:
“Here is an outline for the pdf file:
I. Introduction
A. The author introduces the topic of relationships between odd girls and popular boys.
B. Themes: outsider/insider relationships, social hierarchies in high school, teenagers navigating relationships
II. Character Backgrounds
A. Bella – An odd, quiet girl who just moved to Forks. She is an outsider and doesn’t fit in.
B. Edward – A popular, handsome boy who is intrigued by Bella. He is wealthy and at the top of the social hierarchy.
III. Developing Relationship
A. Edward is fascinated by Bella and wants to get close to her.
B. Bella is wary of Edward at first but soon develops feelings for him.
C. They continue to bond despite their differences.
IV. Complications
A. Edward reveals he has a dangerous secret – he is a vampire.
B. Bella’s life is at risk but she wants to stay with Edward.
V. Heightened Romance
A. Edward and Bella’s relationship intensifies romantically and emotionally.
B. Their differences and Edward’s vampire nature create challenges.
VI. Conclusion
A. Edward and Bella have formed a profound connection, transcending social barriers.
B. Their unlikely relationship shows the power of love conquering all.
C. They plan to stay together despite the obstacles.”

This is not the outline of Faderman’s chapter, but what I think it is the outline of the book, Twilight. This is obviously problematic if someone was relying on Claude 2 for an accurate answer.  I’d rather get a response like ChatGPT-4 gave saying it could not complete the task, then get something that was just made up.

Interestingly, Bing Chat – perhaps because it is connected to the internet – gave me a pretty good summary of the  Chapter 7 (after first giving me a summary of Chapter 2).

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Artificial Intelligence, Higher Education

AI Book Description

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I’ve been playing around with AI more over the last week to see how it can be helpful for my own work and to provide me with some better ideas how to teach history in a world where AI is so available to students.

Today I told Bing Chat: Write a blurb for the back of a history textbook about the historical debates in U.S. Women’s history, the blurb should be between 300-500 words and focus on the variety of topics and scholars covered in the work, ask me questions about the text until you have enough information to write the blurb.

Bing replied: Hello, this is Bing. I can help you write a blurb for your history textbook.  First, I need to ask you some questions about the text. Please answer them as clearly and completely as possible.

    • What is the title of the textbook and who are the authors or editors?
    • What is the main theme or argument of the textbook?
    • What are some of the historical debates or topics that the textbook covers?
    • How does the textbook approach the study of U.S. women’s history? Does it use any specific theoretical frameworks, methods, or sources?
    • Who is the intended audience of the textbook? Is it for students, scholars, or general readers?

After I answered all the questions, Bing produced a description that was a little too ‘gushing’.  So I told it: Rewrite the blurb to be more informational and less about marketing.

And what I got back wasn’t too bad, it made up how many chapters are in the text, but otherwise it took what I told it and turned it into something I could use.  You can see its output below.

U.S. Women’s History: Historical Debates is a textbook that examines the field of U.S. women’s history through the lens of historical debates. Edited by Christy Jo Snider, this book consists of 12 chapters that cover some of the key topics in the history of women in America, such as witchcraft, birth control, slavery, and women in sports. Each chapter presents the views of two historians who have written influential works on the topic, showing the different interpretations, evidence, and arguments that shape the historical debates. The book aims to help college history majors learn how to critically analyze historical sources, evaluate historical arguments, and develop their own historical questions and opinions. U.S. Women’s History: Historical Debates is a textbook that reflects the complexity and diversity of women’s experiences and contributions to American history.

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