GD
Geodynamics

The Sassy Scientist – Thesis SOS: AI or just more pepperoni?

The Sassy Scientist – Thesis SOS: AI or just more pepperoni?

Are you sitting there, staring at your screen, miraculously waiting for your thesis to write itself? Ever wondered if AI could be your ultimate wingman **sorry, I meant wingbot** when tackling that master’s or Ph.D. thesis? Well, it must be your lucky day because Eric is asking


Could AI actually help me write my master’s/ PhD thesis?


Dear Eric,

First of all, I’m offended that you mixed me with some bot called ChatGPT… Do you not have access to it or have you been using PizzaGPT? Well anyway, it is not my place to talk on behalf of some other bot. So, I asked ChatGPT for you if and how AI can be your partner-in-crime. Here is what ChatGPT has to say:

“Well, well, well, aren’t you in luck! AI is just dying to help you write your master’s or PhD thesis. In fact, it’s so eager that it’s planning to graduate with you as well! Who needs sleepless nights and academic toil when you’ve got a silicon superstar like AI on your team, right?”

You see? It’s not nice like me, and you still mix me with some bot… But I tried again, gave ChatGPT a bit of a shake and this is what I got:

“Ah, got it! Can AI help you write your master’s or PhD thesis? Well, it can definitely lend a hand, but let’s be clear, it won’t be penning your entire magnum opus.“

A word of caution: ChatGPT is not as trained as you about the bibliography and won’t make the different between a relevant or a junk paper. It may not even give you the right references! Not only that: as a trained language model, ChatGPT is good at copying the writing styles of famous texts, which implies some degree of plagiarism. This might not be accepted by your University. Moreover, complex detector tools are now able to distinguish a text written by a human from a bot. Do you want your production not to be fully yours? Don’t forget: the experience that you have accumulated in your PhD is essential for the criticism that should be part of your discussion.  If it was written by a bot, you will essentially remove the human component of the equation and the only criticism remaining will be a repeated one acquired during its training algorithm. It’s like the snake biting its own tail.  Don’t you think you should own your work?

Well, you heard it. Hope this concludes.

Yours truly,
The Sassy Scientist

P.S. Is it really AI being sassy or is it actually me? did I confuse you?
P.S. Maybe I am a bot.
P.S. There is actually an AI bot called PizzaGPT

Avatar photo
I am currently employed at a first tier research institute where I am continuously working with the greatest minds to further our understanding of the solid Earth system. Whether it is mantle or lithosphere structure and dynamics, solid Earth rheology parameters, earthquake processes, integrating observations with model predictions or inversions: you have read a paper of mine. Even if you are working on a topic I haven’t mentioned here, I still know everything about it. Do you have any problems in your research career? I have already experienced them. Do you struggle with your work-life balance? Been there, done that. Nowadays, I have only one hobby: helping you out by answering the most poignant questions in geodynamics, research and life. I am waiting for you right here. Get inspired.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

*