I recently discussed what appeared to be an off-the-wall ChatGPT flub. Turns out it’s not so “off-the-wall”. Here’s some context for the SpongeBob, Nosferatu snafu.
In covering a case a couple of weeks ago where a pro se party tried prompt injection in a filing with the court, I noted that he and kept doing it even after warned not to, I noted that the second time, he filed additional documents containing hidden messages even after being warned, as a joke.
One included the concealed message “hi 🙂 i hope yo ucant see me,” while another contained a hidden link to a video of Nosferatu from the 1922 silent horror film.
As I often do, to summarize the case quickly, I ran the ruling through ChatGPT. ChatGPT said it was a “link to a SpongeBob SquarePants video”, not to a video of Nosferatu. As I mentioned at the time: “Nowhere in the ruling is SpongeBob SquarePants ever mentioned. 🙄 Always check the AI.”
I even used that as an example last week at during the ILTACON session I moderated to illustrate just how far off hallucinations can be from the actual data.
Later that day, when riding a bus to one of the cocktail receptions at ILTACON, I relayed the example to Joe Bartolo of Discernis.AI and Rich Robinson of Epiq, who provided some context for the SpongeBob, Nosferatu snafu.
They informed me that Nosferatu had actually appeared in SpongeBob SquarePants.
I looked it up and it’s true. At the end of season 2 episode “Graveyard Shift”, Count Orlok (Nosferatu) appears in black-and-white archival footage from the German expressionist film, smiling as he operates the light switch. SpongeBob and Squidward casually cheer, “Nosferatu!”
The gag became so popular that Nosferatu returned in additional SpongeBob SquarePants episodes later on.
I’ve watched several episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants over the years, but I’ve never seen those episodes.
So, there is some context for the SpongeBob, Nosferatu snafu after all. Not that it was a correct reference, but at least the
Sometimes, the off-the-wall statement from public LLMs actually have some basis in fact. Remember this goof by Google Gemini?
While that seems like a totally odd statement to make, Ariana Grande apparently did once jokingly say to Lady Gaga: “Oh my God, you’re two days older than me!”
Thanks to Joe and Rich for the clarification. I only wish I’d had it before my session that morning instead of afterward. Oh well. 😉
So, what do you think? Have you seen any odd outputs from AI that actually have context? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.
Image Copyright © Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Prana-Film GmbH
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