ChatGPT and Copilot

Experiments with ChatGPT

If you are a user of Microsoft Edge, the default web browser on new Windows computers, then you may have noticed the button at the top right that gives you a pop-up similar to below.

Writing for the ChatBot

Having asked ChatGPT a few questions that I know I have posted about and that I also know are fairly unique about the village of Belchamp Walter, I can see a little of how the chatbot works. The other nice feature of ChatGPT is that it gives a list of "footnotes" on where it found the information that it used to construct the text.

All-in-all, ChatGPT is useful tool for the content author to check that they have not made false, or now outdated, statements. For example, when asking about the 13th Century in Belchamp Walter I found that I had speculated that John de Botetourt had lived in the Manor house at Belchamp Walter. This was based on earlier research that had suggested that he was an "underlord" of the deVere's. It is unlikely that a manor house existed in Belchamp Walter in the 13th Century and John de Botetourt may not even met a de Vere let along being "underlord". Sir John was associated with the village of Belchamp Walter but that was due to a marriage to a resident of another village, the Fitz Otes (Fitz Otto), and the village "fell" to him as he was a surviving male in the hereditary line. He was also related, by marriage, to a descendant of the de Beauchamp family.

Futher interigation of ChatGPT about where Sir John was buried, there was more confusion in that ChatGPT returned that he was buried in Halesowen Abbey, located in Hales, Shropshire, England.