Vanderbilt University writes a condolence letter with ChatGPT

Vanderbilt University, which wrote a statement of condolence for the recent shooting spree at Michigan State University, the U.S. with interactive artificial intelligence (AI) ‘ChatGPT,’ has officially apologized for the strong criticism it received from the public.

Bloomberg News reported on Saturday (local time) that the Peabody College Secretariat at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee sent an email to students to express condolences for the victims of the indiscriminate shooting at Michigan State University. The shooting, which occurred on Feb. 13, resulted in three students' deaths and five others' injuries. The shooter ultimately took his own life after the attack.

The condolence letter from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College begins plainly: “We must recognize that creating a safe and inclusive environment is an ongoing process that requires ongoing effort and commitment.” The problem was that a line at the bottom of the email said, “Paraphrase from OpenAI’s ChatGPT.” It showed that the Peabody College Secretariat wrote the email using ChatGPT.

Students who received the email expressed their anger towards the university. Marta Chessen, a student at the university, told Bloomberg, “I was disappointed that the school appeared to lack empathy for those affected by the tragic incident. It seems that the email was sent out of a sense of duty, rather than solely for the sake of the community.”

The university apologized for using AI technology in the wrong place. Nicole Joseph, the vice dean of the university, said, “While we believe in the message of inclusivity expressed in the email, using ChatGPT to generate communications on behalf of our community in a time of sorrow and in response to a tragedy contradicts the values that characterize Peabody College.”


clearlee@donga.com