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ChatGPT Hallucinates Non-existent Citations: Evidence from Economics

Author

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  • Joy Buchanan
  • Stephen Hill
  • Olga Shapoval

Abstract

In this study, we generate prompts derived from every topic within the Journal of Economic Literature to assess the abilities of both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 versions of the ChatGPT large language model (LLM) to write about economic concepts. ChatGPT demonstrates considerable competency in offering general summaries but also cites non-existent references. More than 30% of the citations provided by the GPT-3.5 version do not exist and this rate is only slightly reduced for the GPT-4 version. Additionally, our findings suggest that the reliability of the model decreases as the prompts become more specific. We provide quantitative evidence for errors in ChatGPT output to demonstrate the importance of LLM verification. JEL Codes: B4; O33; I2

Suggested Citation

  • Joy Buchanan & Stephen Hill & Olga Shapoval, 2024. "ChatGPT Hallucinates Non-existent Citations: Evidence from Economics," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 69(1), pages 80-87, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:amerec:v:69:y:2024:i:1:p:80-87
    DOI: 10.1177/05694345231218454
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    artificial intelligence; large language models; ChatGPT; writing; research methods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B4 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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