AIBU to think Mumsnet gives better advice than ChatGPT?

[ponyprincess]

Is Mumsnet better than CHAT GPT for advice?
AIBU- Mumsnet is full of genuine advice
AINBU- CHAT GPT is great and/or is on Mumsnet anyway

Agreed- I happily ask MN for practical things where a human touch might also be useful (eg recommend a recipe, has anyone been to X etc). Anything very personal- no way. Some of the advice may be good but some of it is pretty deranged and half the time people have barely read the OP and are just using it as a springboard for their own issues.

Also never post on MN about family issues unless you're happy for people who don't know your family to talk about them in the most spiteful and nasty terms.

I’ve started to really like ChatGPT for advice on practical things - holiday planning, for example.

If find I use it too if I don’t want to talk to people I know about something bothering me - health issues for example. And I have had ongoing knee issues which some people I know just keep saying diet and losing weight but ChatGPT has given advice about linking various things together which is more helpful.

YANBU.
ChatGPT tells me what I want to hear.
Mumsnet does not.

Yes chat gpt
can be an echo chamber

So it's Google but more personal?

What I am thinking is.my title (suggested by AI) in terms of what is 'better'.

Maybe mumsnet is more like asking a friend- individual opinion, might be tough love

Chat GPT- a summary but tailored.to an individual which includes all our Internet history to make it 'for us'

But neither is 'the truth'?

You would trust it for legal advice? Really? Even judges can’t spot it’s hallucinations readily apparently
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/06/high-court-tells-uk-lawyers-to-urgently-stop-misuse-of-ai-in-legal-work

Not even AI trusts AI and it’s getting worse…

I never understand the people who come on MN and respond with "I asked ChatGPT and this is the advice that it gives" before copying and pasting. I always assume it's people who are desperate to be helpful, but don't have anything worthwhile to offer themselves.

It reminds me of when I was a young child and Crimewatch was on TV. They had a reconstruction of a robbery, with the number plate of the car they were filming clearly visible, and I was jumping up and down and urging my parents to phone the hotline to pass on this 'valuable clue' that I had discovered for them!!!

The main thing is that anybody can access ChatGPT or Google. If somebody had wanted to do that, rather than asking humans for advice, experiences and solidarity on MN, they would very obviously have done so - they don't need you to hold their hands and ask their question to a third party on their behalf!

@cardibach exactly!

It seems like facts and tailored us but really?

Yes, though you normally see a bit of "toxic support" on MN where an OP is either being U, or it's at least 50:50.

Some people seem to swallow stories from OPs while, and cheer them on to extreme retaliations, when actually they need challenging bit on what they contributed to a situation.

This is a good point and if you want diverse real people's opinions you can get it at Mumsnet

It really depends what you want. Anecdotal evidence based on a real experience might be exactly what you're looking for. Gathering and distilling of facts from information produced and available across the internet might be what you need.

This is true - the posts where readers have popcorn and watch-- they would never really do it themselves

I would trust neither. AI because it's not infailable, MN because it gives sexist, one sided advice that constantly fails to consider there are two sides to any story.

The quality of MN advice is unsurpassed. I tend to process thoughts by talking so use <AI bot of my choice> to get my thoughts straight before asking elsewhere. It’s happy to have me say the same or very similar thing about while I get it straight in my head. Then ask MN or sometimes even friends once I’ve processed a bit.

The combination works well for me.

AI telling me what I want to hear to really useful. I adjust the prompts I’m using until it really does say what I want to hear and then use that thinking in real life.

I like to think I do less talking and more listening with friends these days which is a good thing, but even on this thread have already repeated myself. sigh

Chat GPT is definitely kinder

ChatGPT tells you what you ask it to tell you. If you ask for advice about a specific scenario that you define very clearly, and tinstruct it that it's answer must be evidenced from (list of sources you would consider reputable and relevant) then it's likely you will get decent advice. If you post that on MN you are likely to get some good advice, some bad advice and some entirely inconsequently side information.

If you don't give ChatGPT a good prompt you are likely to get some advice that sounds reasonable but might be based on a previous query posted on reddit in 2003.

It does make me laugh when people post ChatGPT responses on MN with no source for the response. You do realise this could have come from anywhere.

ChatGPT always likes to make you feel good about yourself, less so on Mumsnet.

Man advice is often to “get a better paid job” - like that’s super easy to do - or “just move to a bigger house” - again, like it’s as easier as buying bread.

@FinallyHere
Yes the combination seems something but mught be hard when you are struggling

ChatGPT Will give you very confident wrong advice. So will Mumsnetters. If you point it out to chatGPT it will give you an oily apology and an incorrect correction where a Mumsnetter will tell you to go and fuck yourself which I actually prefer because at least it's very clearly subjective as opposed to just fake.

🤣🤣🤣

Oily apology!!!

@TeenLifeMum

Yes there was a recent thread about classic/often used advice and phrases on mumsnet- not sure if chatgpt had latched on to those!

Both sides are often incorrect. I am a trained financial adviser and the incorrect information stated so confidently on here and via AI crap gives me the willies.