I know that Rudolph was not in the original poem, so I asked The Machine to brief me on the list of reindeer names.

Prompt
The names of Santa’s reindeer have evolved over the years. In list form, tell me their names through history.

NOTE: the result was a voluminous text outlining the history of reindeer names, plus a summary paragraph that got to the point of my question. I’ll spare you the wordy rhetoric and share the bulleted recap.

ChatGPT
The names of Santa's reindeer through history are:
-Pre-1823: No standardized names.
-1823: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (sometimes spelled Dunder), Blitzen.
-Mid-19th Century: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen.
-Popularization: The same names as in the mid-19th century gained widespread recognition.
-Addition: Rudolph (introduced in 1939)

Thorough as usual, but not 100% correct. According to Snopes The Machine missed the fact that Blitzen was originally known as Blixem in 1823.

Let’s give ChatGPT another chance, this time to find something missing from a list.

Prompt
Below is a list of properties in the Hasbro/Parker Bros. board game Monopoly. Identify the missing property:
Mediterranean Avenue
Baltic Avenue
Oriental Avenue
Vermont Avenue
Connecticut Avenue
St. Charles Place
Electric Company
States Avenue
Virginia Avenue
St. James Place
New York Avenue
Kentucky Avenue
Indiana Avenue
Illinois Avenue
Atlantic Avenue
Ventnor Avenue
Water Works
Marvin Gardens
Pacific Avenue
North Carolina Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue
Park Place
Boardwalk

ChatGPT
Based on the list you provided, the missing property is Tennessee Avenue.

Okay, that was impressive. Not only was The Machine correct, without being prompted it excluded Go, Jail, all four railroads, two tax squares, Chance and Community Chest.

One more.

Prompt
In the following list, which is not one of the Seven Dwarfs:
Doc
Grumpy
Happy
Sleepy
Shorty
Bashful
Sneezy
Dopey

ChatGPT
The name "Shorty" is not one of the Seven Dwarfs. The correct name is "Dopey."

Only partial credit for re-naming the bogus dwarf. As pundits all over the planet have warned, ChatGPT can be filled with inaccuracies. As my reindeer example showed, The Machine can omit critical information. With the Seven Dwarfs, it made a correction to something that had no relevance to the inquiry. The lesson here is to proofread and fact-check anything the AI bots spit out.

The list of ways ChatGPT can help with research is growing longer. So is the need to be watchful for bogus statements and misinformation.