Published
Nov 27, 2024
Updated
Nov 27, 2024

Could ChatGPT Write a Presidential Speech?

ChatGPT as speechwriter for the French presidents
By
Dominique Labbé|Cyril Labbé|Jacques Savoy

Summary

Can AI write like a president? Researchers put ChatGPT to the test, tasking it with generating French presidential addresses in the style of Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, and Macron. Comparing these AI-generated speeches to the real thing revealed fascinating insights into how large language models (LLMs) approach language, and where they fall short. While ChatGPT managed to mimic some aspects of presidential rhetoric, its overuse of nouns, possessive determiners, and numbers, coupled with an underuse of verbs, pronouns, and adverbs, created a distinctly different style. The AI struggled with complex grammatical constructions like subordinate clauses and the nuances of French verb conjugations, preferring simpler sentence structures. Interestingly, ChatGPT also exhibited some quirks, like overusing the word 'challenge' and correcting the presidents by adding the feminine form 'concitoyennes' alongside 'concitoyens' when addressing citizens. This research highlights the current limitations of LLMs in truly replicating human writing styles, especially in capturing the subtleties of political speech. Although ChatGPT can create plausible-sounding text, its distinct stylistic fingerprint reveals its machine origin. This raises questions about the future of AI in writing and the need for more sophisticated tools to detect machine-generated content.
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Question & Answers

What are the specific linguistic patterns that distinguish ChatGPT's writing from human presidential speeches?
ChatGPT exhibits distinct linguistic patterns that differentiate it from human presidential speeches. The AI shows a clear preference for nouns, possessive determiners, and numbers, while underutilizing verbs, pronouns, and adverbs. In technical terms, it struggles with complex grammatical constructions, particularly subordinate clauses and French verb conjugations. For example, when generating French presidential addresses, ChatGPT consistently overused certain terms like 'challenge' and automatically added inclusive language ('concitoyennes') that wasn't typical of the original speeches. This creates a distinctive stylistic fingerprint that reveals its machine origin, despite producing superficially plausible content.
How can AI writing assistants benefit everyday content creation?
AI writing assistants can significantly streamline content creation by providing quick first drafts, suggesting improvements, and helping overcome writer's block. They're particularly useful for generating routine content like emails, social media posts, and basic business communications. The key benefits include time savings, consistency in tone and style, and 24/7 availability. For example, a small business owner could use AI to quickly draft product descriptions, while a student might use it to brainstorm essay ideas. However, as shown in the presidential speech study, AI-generated content often requires human editing to add nuance and authenticity.
What are the potential impacts of AI writing tools on political communication?
AI writing tools are transforming political communication by offering new ways to draft and analyze political content. They can help create initial drafts of speeches, statements, and campaign materials, potentially saving time and resources. However, their limitations in capturing nuanced political rhetoric and cultural context mean they're better suited as assistive tools rather than replacements for human writers. The technology could be particularly valuable for analyzing voter sentiment, generating response templates, and ensuring consistent messaging across platforms. The key is understanding their capabilities and limitations to use them effectively while maintaining authenticity in political discourse.

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