You could be having a conversation with ChatGPT about those awesome swimming pigs in the Bahamas or cute nicknames for your girlfriend and it will still find a way to say the word ‘robust’.
On a personal note, I really like calling things robust. I just like the way it feels as the word flows from my lips—you can literally feel the robustness of robust!
Here’s the problem: I’m not alone in my favoritism towards this word. It has wide usage in everyday English and this has caught the attention of OpenAI’s pattern recognition software.
The story doesn’t end there, though. How people use ChatGPT also determines the rate at which ‘robust’ features in its responses.
It was popular way before ChatGPT
As with all the common AI words, it is a reflection of society’s propensity for certain words in certain scenarios, and ChatGPT is simply holding up the mirror.
When you study the history of ‘robust’, you can see why it enjoys pride of place in our vocabulary. It’s gone through one hell of an evolution, starting out as a word that connotes strength and now encompasses a broader range of qualities like resilience, health and reliability.
The word is nearly 500 years old and can be applied to many different topics and contexts, so it’s safe to say that ‘robust’ has left quite the footprint in literary works and beyond.
From a training standpoint, this long and rich history is hugely beneficial for Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT as they try to get to grips with the nuances of the English language.
Robust is robustly versatile
The examples below give you a sense of the sheer versatility of this much-loved adjective. When you consider that millions of users are prompting ChatGPT with these kinds of topics, you can see why ‘robust’ is as pervasive as it is in AI-generated texts.
Marketing Copy
- “Our company offers a robust suite of services to meet the diverse needs of our clients.”
- “Experience the robust flavor of our artisanal coffee, sourced from the finest beans around the world.”
Research writing
- “The study employed a robust methodology to analyze the correlation between socioeconomic factors and educational attainment.”
- “The robust statistical analysis confirmed the hypothesis with a high level of confidence.”
Creative writing
- “She possessed a robust determination to overcome any obstacle in her path.”
- “The protagonist’s robust personality shone through in her unwavering commitment to her ideals.”
Health & wellness
- “Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential for maintaining a robust immune system.”
- “The Mediterranean diet is known for its robust health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease.”
Environmental writing
- “The conservation efforts have led to the restoration of a robust ecosystem in the region.”
- “Investing in renewable energy sources is crucial for building a robust and sustainable energy infrastructure.”
Technical writing
- “The new software update includes a robust security feature that encrypts all user data.”
- “The robust design of the bridge ensures its resilience against harsh weather conditions.”
Robust is also a technical term
The very last example mentioned technical writing. This particular application of the word ‘robust’ is really important because you can’t easily replace a technical term for another one.
Indeed, everyone who works in software development describes a piece of software in terms of its robustness. Ergo, robust is a specialized industry term that is used with high frequency.
And it just so happens that the world of software and computing has embraced ChatGPT more than most, so folks in this field experience an even more compounded version of the never-ending ‘robust’ nightmare.
Summary
On a general level, ChatGPT uses ‘robust’ a lot for the simple reason that humans use it a lot too.
The fact that it is also a technical term doesn’t help matters either. People who work in or around software make up a large share of the ChatGPT community, and therefore are more susceptible to the “robust effect”.