Editing with ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing Chat
Like many people, I’ve been trying out AI tools for a variety of tasks, such as editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. In this series of posts, I’ll explore three of the most popular AI writing tools and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. I’ll also assess how they perform in different areas of writing.
I hope this series will be helpful for other writers who are interested in exploring the potential of AI tools. Join me as we dive into the world of AI-driven writing tools and discover how they can help you improve your writing.
💬 Note: This is a fast moving area, so as we get further from the dates these comparisons were run (May 2023) you may notice some differences.
First, I decided to have each AI tool edit my introduction above. Below is the original version of the introduction that I wrote, and the prompt that I used on each service to start with. The above introduction is mostly the result of ChatGPT, with some additional edits that I made, then had Google Bard edit a final time.
Original prompt
Please edit this introduction to an article:
Like many, I have been trying out AI tools for a number of things, such as: editing my writing, researching different topics, building an outline, or travel ideas. Using these three tools, I have noticed strengths and weaknesses in each tool. I will create a series of posts that explore different areas of writing and an assessment of how they have responded.
🌟Bing Chat
This is the original response from Bing Chat:
Here’s an example of how you can edit your introduction to an article:
“Writing a good introduction is easy as easy as 1–2–3, if you know exactly how to go about doing it. Before you begin writing your introduction, consider the purpose of your content. Try to think about why you are writing the article. Consider using your first sentence to attract the reader’s attention to encourage them to continue reading. Describe your topic and add a thesis. Finally, revisit your introduction after writing your post.”
This example is based on tips from indeed.com.
Not exactly what I asked, so I followed up with: can you actually rewrite my introduction
Sure! Here’s a possible rewrite of your introduction:
“Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become increasingly popular for various tasks such as writing, researching, outlining, and travel planning. In this series of posts, I will explore different areas of writing and assess the strengths and weaknesses of three AI tools I have used.”
I hope this helps! Let me know if you need anything else.
✨Summary of Bing
Bing is a great tool because it provides links to resources or sources for its responses. You’ll notice that it didn’t initially do what I asked, but instead tried to guide me through the process. After I followed up, it gave a very good, succinct, and edited response. I like the response, except for the part where it says “of three AI tools I have used", but lets see what other tools give.
🌟Google Bard
This is the original response from Google’s Bard:
Sure, here is the edited introduction to the article:
AI Tools for Writing: A Review
Like many people, I’ve been trying out AI tools for a number of writing-related tasks, such as editing, researching, outlining, and generating travel ideas. I’ve noticed that each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses, and I’m excited to share my findings in this series of posts.
In this first post, I’ll provide a brief overview of the AI tools I’ve used and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. In subsequent posts, I’ll explore different areas of writing and assess how the AI tools have responded.
I hope this series will be helpful for other writers who are interested in exploring the potential of AI tools.
Strengths of AI Tools for Writing
AI tools can be a valuable asset for writers in a number of ways. Here are a few of their strengths:
They can help you save time. AI tools can automate many of the time-consuming tasks involved in writing, such as research, editing, and outlining. This can free up your time so you can focus on the more creative aspects of writing.
They can help you improve your writing. AI tools can provide feedback on your writing, helping you to identify areas where you can improve your grammar, style, and clarity. They can also generate new ideas for your writing, helping you to expand your thoughts and reach a wider audience.
They can help you reach a wider audience. AI tools can help you to translate your writing into multiple languages, making it accessible to a global audience. They can also help you to optimize your writing for search engines, making it easier for people to find your work.
Weaknesses of AI Tools for Writing
While AI tools can be a valuable asset for writers, they also have some weaknesses. Here are a few of their limitations:
They can be expensive. AI tools can be expensive to purchase and use. This can be a barrier for some writers, especially those who are just starting out.
They can be inaccurate. AI tools are still under development, and they can sometimes make mistakes. This is especially true when they are asked to generate creative content.
They can be biased. AI tools are trained on large datasets of text, and these datasets can reflect the biases of the people who created them. This means that AI tools can sometimes generate text that is biased or offensive.
Conclusion
AI tools can be a valuable asset for writers, but they also have some limitations. It is important to be aware of both the strengths and weaknesses of AI tools before using them. With careful consideration, AI tools can be a powerful tool for improving your writing and reaching a wider audience.
Wow, Ok… These are good points, but not exactly what I wanted. My follow up: just give me the introduction
Sure, here is the introduction to the article:
AI Tools for Writing: A Review
Like many people, I’ve been trying out AI tools for a number of writing-related tasks, such as editing, researching, outlining, and generating travel ideas. I’ve noticed that each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses, and I’m excited to share my findings in this series of posts.
In this first post, I’ll provide a brief overview of the AI tools I’ve used and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. In subsequent posts, I’ll explore different areas of writing and assess how the AI tools have responded.
I hope this series will be helpful for other writers who are interested in exploring the potential of AI tools.
✨Summary of Google Bard
I’ve noticed that when I ask Bard to edit my work, it tends to create much more content than I originally asked for. In some cases, like when I ask it to edit a story, it might make up large chunks of the story that are not at all what I intended. This can be frustrating, especially when I’m trying to keep my writing concise.
In this case, Bard missed the mark on what I wanted to do in this article.
🌟ChatGPT
This is the original response from ChatGPT:
Introduction: In recent times, the utilization of AI tools has become a prevalent practice for a wide range of tasks, including writing editing, topic research, outline creation, and even travel planning. Like countless others, I have ventured into the realm of AI tools, experimenting with various options to enhance my writing process. Through this journey, I have come across three distinct tools that have left an indelible impression on me. However, each tool exhibits its own set of strengths and weaknesses. In this series of posts, I aim to delve into different facets of writing and provide an in-depth evaluation of how these tools have fared in response to various challenges. Join me as we embark on this exploration of AI-driven writing tools and their performance in diverse areas.
My follow up: make this less formal
Introduction: Like many people out there, I’ve been dabbling with AI tools for a bunch of stuff: editing my writing, digging into different topics, crafting outlines, and even planning travel adventures. It’s been quite a journey, and along the way, I’ve discovered three particular tools that caught my attention. But hey, no tool is perfect, right? Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. So, I’ve decided to share my experiences through a series of blog posts, where we’ll dive deep into different aspects of writing and see how these tools measure up. Let’s embark on this exciting exploration together and find out how these AI-powered writing tools have handled various challenges along the way.
And now to address the wordiness: make it less wordy
Introduction: Like many others, I’ve been trying out AI tools for different tasks: editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. Along the way, I’ve come across three tools that have their own strengths and weaknesses. In this series of posts, I’ll explore various aspects of writing and assess how these tools have performed. Join me as we dive into the world of AI-driven writing tools and discover how they tackle different challenges. Let’s get started on this exciting journey together!
✨Summary of ChatGPT
ChatGPT is pretty good at keeping the meaning of the text and not adding too much additional made-up content. However, as you can see, it can make the text much longer and more formal. It almost sounds like a student trying to reach a certain word count in an essay.
I was able to get closer to what I was looking for by telling ChatGPT to be less formal and less wordy. However, it still wasn’t exactly what I wanted, so I added to this response and tried again.
I think this is a good example of how AI can be a helpful tool for writers, but it’s important to be aware of its limitations. AI can’t always understand the nuances of human language, so it’s important to be prepared to edit and refine its output.
🔁 Another Try
I made some edits to the response I got from ChatGPT and tried each tool to edit this version.
Edit this text, keeping the style and length about the same:
Like many others, I have been trying out AI tools for different tasks: editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. We will explore three of the popular tools available for everyone. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses. In this series of posts, I’ll explore various aspects of writing and assess how these tools have performed. Join me as we dive into the world of AI-driven writing tools and discover how they tackle different challenges. Let’s get started on this exciting journey together!
Final ChatGPT
Introduction: Like many others, I’ve been experimenting with AI tools for various tasks like editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. In this series, we’ll explore three popular tools that are accessible to everyone. Each tool has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Throughout these posts, we’ll delve into different aspects of writing and evaluate how these tools have performed. Join me on this exhilarating journey into the world of AI-driven writing tools as we uncover how they handle diverse challenges. Let’s kickstart this exciting adventure together!
Final Bing Chat
Here’s a possible edit of your text:
“Like many others, I have been trying out AI tools for different tasks such as editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. In this series of posts, we will explore three popular tools available for everyone and assess their strengths and weaknesses. Join me as we dive into the world of AI-driven writing tools and discover how they tackle different challenges. Let’s get started on this exciting journey together!”
I hope this helps! Let me know if you need anything else.
Final Google Bard
Sure, here is the edited text:
Like many people, I’ve been trying out AI tools for a variety of tasks, such as editing my writing, researching topics, creating outlines, and even planning trips. In this series of posts, I’ll explore three of the most popular AI writing tools and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. I’ll also assess how they perform in different areas of writing.
I hope this series will be helpful for other writers who are interested in exploring the potential of AI tools. Join me as we dive into the world of AI-driven writing tools and discover how they can help you improve your writing.
Here are the specific changes I made:
I removed the phrase “for different tasks” because it was redundant.
I replaced the phrase “we will explore” with “I’ll explore” to make it clear that I am the one writing the posts.
I added the phrase “in different areas of writing” to clarify that I will be assessing the tools in a variety of contexts.
I made minor changes to the wording to improve clarity and flow.
I hope this is helpful!
Here Bard explains exactly what it changed and why… This can help you to improve your writing, or decided which changes to keep.
🎉 Do you recognize this? I chose this to be the introduction of this article. It’s well-written, not too long, and gets to the point. It also stays close to the point that I was trying to make initially.
✨ Summary
This was a fun experiment! I was surprised at how close each of the final results were. I could have chosen any of them, but I ultimately went with Bard’s. However, if you’ve been following along, you know that I couldn’t have gotten to that result without the help of ChatGPT. Bing’s initial response was pretty good, once it actually edited my text. But I didn’t like the way it portrayed the three AIs I picked.
I’m glad I did this experiment. It was a great way to see how different AIs can be used to edit writing. I’m definitely going to keep using AIs to help me with my writing in the future.
🎯 Additional Prompt Tips
After writing this article, I used Bard to edit the summary paragraphs above. One of its results was a list of prompts that could be used for specific purposes. These prompts are very useful, so I’m sharing them here.
Prompts for AI Tools:
Grammarly: Edit the following text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
ProWritingAid: Improve the clarity, conciseness, and overall quality of the following text.
Hemingway Editor: Make the following text more engaging and easy to read.
Cliche Finder: Identify and remove any cliches from the following text.
Wordtune: Improve the style and flow of the following text.
I hope you find this article and the prompt tips above useful.
Other articles in the AI Comparison Series:
