The Washington PostThe Washington Post

Look out, get-rich-quick schemes are coming to AI

By Pranshu Verma

15 May 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

TikTok and YouTube stars are telling people to use ChatGPT to make money, while promising to sit back and do nothing. The Post reports on how AI can't automate a money-making scheme.

Basil Chatha wanted to make "as much ... money as possible." So in April, he asked ChatGPT to tell him how to quickly turn $1,000 into riches without breaking the law. "I'll do everything you say," he wrote.

While waving a fistful of $20 bills, he promised to give TikTok viewers a daily progress report of his journey. The chatbot spit out a generic strategy, suggesting he build an online business and use social media to get the word out. Chatha urged viewers to subscribe.

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