MANOR HOUSE TO GIBSON SQUARE: What is ChatGPT and how does it perform on the Knowledge of London?

ChatGPT is a chat and messaging platform that is causing a huge storm across many industries since its release. Basically it's a type of artificial intelligence model developed by OpenAI.

GPT is used to generate human-like language and can be trained to understand and respond to specific prompts in natural language, making it useful for chatbots and virtual assistants.

Today, TaxiPoint tested this new Artificial Intelligence (AI) by putting the technology on the world renowned Knowledge of London (KOL) and asking it a really simply question: how does a taxi driver get from Manor House Tube Station to Gibson Square?

Having studied the Knowledge with Wizann Knowledge School and driving a black cab in the capital for over 13 years, here’s how the route should be called:

• Leave on left Green Lanes

• Right and right Highbury New Park

• Left Highbury Grove

• Right Saint Pauls Road

• Comply Highbury Corner

• Leave by Upper Street

• Right Barnsbury Street

• Left Milner Square

• Forward Milner Place

• Forward into Gibson Square

So, how did AI do on this particular test? It failed quite spectacularly! The route quite simply didn’t make any sense and as a result would never pass as acceptable on the famed KOL test.

Here’s how AI responded:

• Exit the Manor House tube station and head southeast towards Green Lanes.

• Turn right onto Green Lanes and continue until you reach the junction with Seven Sisters Road.

• Turn left onto Seven Sisters Road and continue for around 0.5 miles.

• At the next junction, turn right onto Blackstock Road.

• Continue on Blackstock Road until you reach Highbury Corner and take the right turn onto Upper Street.

• After about 0.5 miles, turn left onto Barnsbury Road.

• Follow Barnsbury Road until you reach Thornhill Road.

• Turn right onto Thornhill Road and continue until you reach Barnsbury Road again.

• Turn left onto Barnsbury Road and continue until you reach the junction with Upper Street.

• Turn left onto Upper Street and then take an immediate right onto Duncan Terrace.

• Drive straight on Duncan Terrace and then turn left onto St. Peter's Street.

• Continue on St. Peter's Street for a short distance and you will soon reach Gibson Square.

Right now, just like with sat-nav, ChatGPT is useful if you have no knowledge on a subject or place and just want to find a fix to the problem you give it. However, AI still has a long way to go if it wants to drive the autonomous black cabs of the future, unless of course passengers are happy with the ghost driver getting lost or going the long way round on the meter!

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