Chapter 1: The Frustration of Colon-Centric Titles

While I can tolerate the occasional title with a colon, especially when they enhance clarity, I find it frustrating when I request ChatGPT to provide ten random blog post titles and receive only colon-inclusive options.

Screenshots from author

My irritation with ChatGPT reached a peak, prompting me to dedicate a significant portion of my workday to unraveling why this AI seems fixated on titles divided by colons, even when I specifically request alternatives.

Chapter 1.1: Examining the Colon Phenomenon

I initially believed that ChatGPT was just one of several AI tools prone to producing colon-heavy titles. To verify this, I tested two other models to see if they exhibited the same behavior with identical prompts. Surprisingly, only 30% of titles from Perplexity AI contained colons.

Google's Bard, despite its counting issues, generated only three titles with colons from a total of 24.

Chapter 1.2: The Data Behind Title Trends

Understanding why ChatGPT favors colon-heavy titles requires a look at its training data. Unlike an independent thinker, ChatGPT is a sophisticated amalgamation of training data, producing outputs based on patterns in its learned information.

I framed my investigation as if ChatGPT had preferences, but in reality, it reflects the vast amount of web content it has analyzed, primarily sourced from Common Crawl data, a substantial collection of web pages and related text. Bard, on the other hand, was trained on a staggering "1.56 trillion words of public dialog data and web text," although Google has not elaborated on the specifics. It seems that Perplexity AI has been adjusted to yield fewer colon-laden titles, likely due to its training on similar material to that of ChatGPT.

Chapter 2: Why the Obsession with Colons?

Ultimately, my inquiry leads to a broader question about writing conventions online. ChatGPT doesn't inherently prefer colons; it simply produces what it has learned from its training data. The real question is why so much colon-centric content exists in the first place.

This trend can be attributed to two main factors: SEO and academic writing. Many of my product reviews, like those generated by Bard, often include colons. Recognizing this reality forced me to confront my own use of colons in titles, which I typically avoid. It often comes down to SEO needs.

Incorporating keywords such as "apps like ChatGPT" into a title is more challenging without a colon to create a natural separation. Here are a few examples that illustrate this:

• AI Chat Alternatives: Top 12 Apps Like ChatGPT
• Ko-fi Review: Best Platform to Monetize Your Audience?
• Overemployment: How Remote Workers Take on 2+ Jobs (and 2+ Salaries)

An author from the Online Journal Blog highlighted that one of the rules of SEO is to ensure key terms are present in headlines, preferably at the beginning. The colon effectively achieves both objectives.

Given that ChatGPT has been trained on a plethora of SEO-optimized blog posts and internet articles, it is no surprise that it defaults to this style.

Chapter 2.1: Academic Influences on Title Structure

Colons are also prevalent in academic writing. Kevin McElwee’s analysis of Princeton theses noted a marked increase in colon usage over the years.

Delving deeper into academic research, some scholars from the 80s associated colons in titles with scholarly legitimacy. The Dillon Hypothesis of Titular Colonicity posits that "the presence of a colon in a paper's title is a primary indicator of scholarship." A 1985 paper on this hypothesis claimed that titular colonicity had surged over the previous 15 years.

These findings illustrate that ChatGPT's outputs reflect the colon-rich texts it has consumed, spanning books, articles, and various web sources.

I also consulted AI expert Tony Guo, co-founder of AI Scout. He noted that the initial prompt can significantly influence results. For example, a casual request like "please generate ten random blog titles" may yield colon-heavy responses, while a more specific directive to avoid colons could produce better outcomes.

The first video, "The ChatGPT secrets for YouTube Titles that get clicked and watched!" delves into strategies for crafting engaging titles that attract viewers.

The second video, "ChatGP-why: When, if ever, is synthetic text safe, appropriate, and desirable?" explores the nuances of synthetic text in various contexts.

Chapter 3: Understanding ChatGPT's Role

In conclusion, my frustration with ChatGPT's title choices ultimately rests with me. I sometimes anthropomorphize ChatGPT, viewing it as a mischievous entity intent on thwarting my efforts, rather than recognizing it as a large language model reflecting its training data.

Many commentators personify ChatGPT in ways that suggest it possesses human-like qualities. For instance, claims that it "proved" its ability to pass examinations or "determined" potential areas of assistance misinterpret its nature.

When I request ten titles devoid of colons and am met with colon-laden suggestions, my annoyance reveals a disconnect between my perception of artificial intelligence and its reality. This experiment underscores that ChatGPT is not truly intelligent; it merely mirrors the data it has been trained on. Creators must keep this in mind when utilizing AI tools.