Regardless of whether you’ve tried ChatGPT yourself, you couldn’t possibly have avoided hearing about it. Created by OpenAI, it’s the artificial-intelligence language-processing tool — a so-called chatbot — that allows you to carry on humanlike conversations with a computer. You’ve probably heard that because it can write papers, memos, and letters for people, it may well end up ghostwriting student papers, and so on. O brave new world!

If you’ve dug a little further, you’ve probably realized or heard people say that it’s full of inaccuracies. That’s true. My first real encounter with it, a couple of months ago, occurred when my father (now 92) asked it for a 500-word essay about me. Although the writing was more than passable, and the biographical essay looked plausible, it got all kinds of facts wrong: where I went to law school, the nature of my first job, and the year in which I founded my consulting firm (two years off). It credited me with two awards, one of which I did win; I’ve never heard of the other.

When I reported these results on a Zoom happy hour with mostly East Coast friends, they suddenly became interested in having the chatbot write their biographies, which were similarly riddled with factual errors. One friend found an 87 percent inaccuracy rate in factual statements. (I suppose they should be called counterfactual statements.)

The collective reaction was a chorus of scoffs: “Purveyor of misinformation!” “Unreliable!” “Caveat lector!”

Yet some things about the chatbot are praiseworthy, if we understand its best and highest uses. It shouldn’t be written off as completely useless. Everything depends on what you request. If you stay away from facts and figures but instead focus on trends, you can find excellent information that might further your research. For example:

What are the main emotions that refugees feel when they flee their home country?
Who were the most important Austrian etchers of the mid 20th century?
What is common-law marriage?

Each of these queries will bring forth a nice little essay that might serve as the basis for further research.

In other words, I’d be skeptical of what a chatbot drafts for you, but there’s no doubt that it can point you in some extremely useful directions that you might otherwise have missed.

Yesterday a former student of mine came by full of enthusiasm for ChatGPT’s compositions for such common purposes as eulogies, cover letters, and thank-you notes. He said the templates are excellent beginnings for those who otherwise find it difficult to write such things.

He showed me a eulogy it wrote for his fictitious Aunt Eunice, from Gary, Ind., a beloved high-school English teacher who taught thousands of students over the years to write well. With nothing more than that prompt, here’s what ChatGPT composed:

Dear friends and family,

Today we gather to celebrate the life and legacy of a remarkable woman, Eunice, who touched the lives of so many in her role as a high-school English teacher. Her passion for language and literature inspired countless students to find their own voices and to write with clarity and eloquence.

Eunice was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, and she always had a deep love for her hometown. She graduated from the local high school before attending college and ultimately returning to Gary to teach. For over three decades, she dedicated herself to her students, sharing with them not only her knowledge of English but also her wisdom and kindness.

Eunice was a gifted teacher, and her impact extended far beyond the classroom. She was known for her warmth and compassion, and her door was always open to students who needed someone to talk to. Many of her former students have gone on to pursue careers in writing or teaching, citing Eunice as a major influence in their lives.

But Eunice’s impact was not limited to her students. She was a beloved member of the community, known for her generosity and her willingness to help those in need. She was a devoted mother and aunt, and her family was always her first priority.

As we reflect on Eunice’s life, we can take comfort in knowing that her legacy lives on through the countless lives she touched. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her, but her memory will continue to inspire us and guide us as we strive to make a difference in the world.

Rest in peace, Eunice. You will always be remembered with love and gratitude.

That’s not a bad start. The facts may be wrong — say, she was born in Indianapolis, not Gary; taught for 40+ years, not 30+; etc. — but rhetorically, this hits all the major themes that a eulogist probably ought to.

True, a professional speaker or writer would do better. But even a professional might benefit from working with a first draft of this kind, however generic it may be.

As for the nonprofessional, we’ve surely all cringed through much worse eulogies than this basic one. And here is where a chatbot might immediately improve the world: For people who never seem to know what to say at a given time — perhaps they’re on the spectrum — a chatbot may help them tremendously. They’ll hit more of the right notes. And for people who suffer from writer’s block over mundane matters, the chatbot will give them a jump-start.

Inevitably, technology is making it more and more difficult to tell what’s genuine and what’s not. Chatbots will help people misrepresent themselves. They’ll know just what to say, etc., etc.

Like any other technology, then, chatbots will be used by the maleficent for wicked purposes; they’ll be used by the beneficent for noble purposes. But they’ll probably never have the wisdom to know the difference.