Could a computer have written my dissertation for me?

Not so long ago I discovered DALL-E, an AI program that instantly creates any picture you want. You can submit any request and can even specify the graphic format and it will do the job for you. At the time, I registered to be allowed to try this out but there was a long waiting list so I forgot all about it. Today I received an email with my password and started playing. For example, I asked DALL-E to create a picture of a robot eating matzah and this is what immediately appeared:

It is important to stress that these are not existing pictures. A Google image search for "robot eating matzah" does not yield any success. These picture are created by the AI through the combing and blending of pictures in its memory bank. By the way, could these be the Four Sons? And if so, who would be the Wicked Son? Obviously the one eating bread on Pesach!

While playing around I also stumbled on the text version of the AI which blew me away. Openai.com allows you to give instructions to the computer on what text to write and it will do so instantly. I gave it a try and the results left me dumbfounded.

My first attempt tried the poetic capabilities of the AI. I typed in "Create a poem about the Passover Haggadah". It immediate returned with the following:

The Passover Haggadah is a book of instructions

That tells the story of our deliverance

It's a guide to help us celebrate

And remember how God set us free

The Haggadah starts with the Seder service

And then tells the story of Exodus

Moses led the Hebrews out of slavery

And into the Promised Land

The Haggadah includes the Four Questions

Which are asked by the youngest child

They help us to remember

How our ancestors were once slaves

We recite the Ten Plagues

And then we eat the Matzah

This is a meal that is fit for a king

And it reminds us of God's mercy

We sing songs and we bless God

For His goodness and His love

The Passover Haggadah is a special book

That helps us to remember our history  

Not bad at all! The next task I gave it was: "Write an advertisement for a Passover Haggadah" to see its copywriting talents. The results:

Looking for a Passover Haggadah that will make your Seder night unforgettable? Look no further than the Passover Haggadah by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. This Haggadah is packed with everything you need to make your Seder night special, including traditional readings, prayers, and songs, as well as commentary and insights from Rabbi Riskin. Order your copy today and make your Seder night one to remember!

What?! How did the Riskin Haggadah get in there? Could this just be a copy paste job from an existing advertisment? Although it seems like it, my plagiarism checker did not find this text online and tells me it is 100% unique! Now I started to challenge the AI slightly more and told it: "Write a critical review of the English translation of a Passover Haggadah". Would it be able to do so? The results were stunning:

The Passover Haggadah is a text that is recited during the Passover Seder, a Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah tells the story of the Exodus and includes instructions for performing the Seder. This particular Haggadah was translated into English from the Hebrew.

Overall, the translation of the Haggadah is fairly accurate. However, there are a few errors and omissions that could be confusing for readers who are not familiar with the original Hebrew text. For example, the translation includes the word "Seder" in the title, which could be confusing for readers who are not familiar with the term. Additionally, the translation omits a few words and phrases from the original text, which could make the meaning difficult to understand.

Despite these errors, the translation is generally accurate and would be suitable for use during a Passover Seder.

 Wow, amazing! Could it do more? For example "compare and contrast" two different Haggadahs? I did not tell it which ones to choose being interested if it would again pick the Riskin Haggadah. But this time it stayed quite neutral:

The Passover Haggadahs are texts that are recited during the Passover Seder. There are many different versions of the Haggadah, and each one has its own unique elements. However, all Haggadahs contain the same basic elements, which include the story of the Exodus from Egypt, instructions for the Seder ceremony, and prayers. Some Haggadahs also include songs, poems, and other readings.

One difference between two Haggadahs is the order in which the story of the Exodus is told. Some Haggadahs tell the story in chronological order, while others tell it in a more symbolic or spiritual way. Another difference is the amount of detail given in the instructions for the Seder ceremony. Some Haggadahs provide step-by-step instructions, while others simply give an overview of the ceremony.

In terms of content, one Haggadah may focus more on the historical aspects of the Exodus story, while another may focus on the spiritual meaning of the holiday. Some Haggadahs also include readings from the Torah or other Jewish scriptures. Ultimately, the choice of Haggadah depends on the preferences of the individual Seder participants.

It is writing complete coherent texts from scratch.  Amazing! How about giving it instructions to compare two specific Haggadahs? "Compare and contract the Maxwell House Coffee Haggadah with the New American Haggadah by Englander" Let's see if it is familiar with these two:

There are a few key ways in which the Maxwell Coffee House Haggadah and the New American Haggadah by Englander differ. For one, the Maxwell Coffee House Haggadah is geared more towards Ashkenazi traditions while the New American Haggadah is geared towards Sephardic traditions. Additionally, the Maxwell Coffee House Haggadah includes more traditional prayers and readings, while the New American Haggadah includes more modern interpretations and readings. Finally, the Maxwell Coffee House Haggadah is illustrated with more traditional images, while the New American Haggadah includes more contemporary illustrations.

Now, although this is surely extremely impressive, the facts are not really accurate. For example, the New American Hagadah is not geared towards Sephardic traditions. But except for that, the text could actually be considered quite exact. Interesting.

Now I start worrying. If this AI is so good, could it have written the dissertation I worked on for 8 years instantly by itself? With trembling fingers I typed in: "Write a linguistic and cultural-historical analysis of English translations of the Passover Haggadah from 1770 to Now". Let's see it this AI could have written my dissertation for me!

The Passover Haggadah is a text that is recited during the Passover Seder, a Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah tells the story of the Exodus, and includes instructions for the Seder ritual. 

The first English translation of the Haggadah was published in 1770 by Isaac Leeser. Leeser's translation was based on a German translation, and was intended for use by English-speaking Jews. Leeser's translation was very literal, and was criticized for being difficult to read. 

In 1838, another English translation was published by Moses Levy. Levy's translation was based on the Hebrew original, and was intended for a more general audience. Levy's translation was more readable than Leeser's, and was popular among English-speaking Jews. 

In the early 20th century, a number of new English translations of the Haggadah were published. These translations were based on the Hebrew original, and were intended for a more general audience. These translations were more readable than Leeser's, and were popular among English-speaking Jews. 

Today, there are many English translations of the Passover Haggadah available. These translations vary in their approach, but all are based on the Hebrew original. 

Hah! facts are apparently unimportant for this AI. There are so many factual mistakes that this is laughable. But except for the repetition of "more readable than Leeser's, and was popular among English-speaking Jews", the texts reads wonderfully well and this in itself is a great feat! It managed to generate this text much quicker than I would have been able to. Still, move over AI, you wrote four paragraphs full of mistakes, I wrote 400 pages and my facts all check out. But hey, kudos on this extremely impressive AI.