“Write an article in the style of Prairie Fare about dogs and green beans,” I told an artificial intelligence (AI) program called ChatGPT.

The person sitting next to me during a session about AI suggested the topic.

I learned that ChatGPT somehow “knows” me. It described my Prairie Fare column when I gave it the command.

By the way, GPT is short for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.”

I thought it knew too much about me. I have “Siri” and “Alexa” devices on my phone and in my home. Are these devices listening to me and reporting the information to the digital universe?  

After the dog and food suggestion, I noted a disclaimer that the information provided might be inaccurate. That certainly did not fill me with confidence about the mystical powers of AI.

An article appeared on my screen. It told the story about “my” dog, Buddy the retriever, who was advised by his veterinarian to eat green beans to lose weight.

I do not have a retriever named Buddy. I highly doubt that a veterinarian would advise a green bean diet.

Maybe the devices are not tuning into my life. I think I will disconnect some of these electronic listening ears, though.

We all leave a virtual trail if we shop online or explore various websites. These digital bits of information are called “cookies.”

You may have noted that products are suggested on social media if you shop online or explore websites. As a result of my purchases, I am constantly being shown new cookbooks and dog supplies on social media.

Nearly every conference I have attended in recent years has a session on AI and its uses. Being on a university campus, our faculty are figuring out how to use this new technology in education.

The technology will continue to evolve, and experts predict it will make us more efficient.

If you search online for a topic, you probably will encounter the “AI Overview” at the start of the message back to you.

How can you tell if information is trustworthy? We often use a system developed by librarians at California State University – Chico called the CRAAP test. That’s quite memorable, isn’t it? You may pronounce the acronym however you would like.

It stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.

Let’s dig deeper. When looking for information, you want it to be recent (current) and to answer your questions at the appropriate level. Is it relevant to you? Are you the intended audience?

You also want to know whether the author has any authority on the topic, and whether the information is accurate (based on recent research). You also want to know the purpose of the information. Is it trying to sell you something or simply be informative and helpful?

You can use this simple test to “sniff out” false information about nutrition, health, food preservation and other topics.

Well, I need to go check on my dog Buddy. Oops, I do not have a dog by that name.

I am keeping an open mind, but I do not plan to ask AI to write my Prairie Fare column. That’s where you can help me.

For the last few years, I have done random drawings for Field to Fork calendars with 12 new recipes and lots of tips. I ask you to suggest a potential topic for a future Prairie Fare column by Nov. 15. Simply visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/2025NDSUCalendar or email me at julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu using the subject line “Calendar Drawing.” Please let me know a topic idea, along with your name and mailing address. You may be a lucky winner of one of 50 calendars.

I promise not to use your information for anything but the drawing. Your topic idea may appear in a future Prairie Fare column, so I thank you.

Here’s a colorful recipe featuring fiber- and protein-rich lentils and vegetables with feta cheese, olives and a light dressing. The Mediterranean Diet has been linked to heart-health benefits through years of research. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and check out our many recipes and videos.

Mediterranean-style Greek Lentil Salad

1 cup dry lentils
1½ cups water
½ cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
½ cup onion, chopped
1½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup green peppers, chopped
1 cup cucumber, diced
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine lentils and water in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 15-20 minutes), then drain and cool. In a large bowl, combine lentils, olives, onion, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, feta cheese and parsley. Whisk oil, lemon juice and oregano together. Toss salad with dressing to coat.

Makes eight servings. Each serving has 220 calories, 9 grams (g) fat, 4 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber and 90 milligrams sodium.

(Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.)

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Oct. 17, 2024

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, 701-231-7187, julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Elizabeth Cronin, 701-231-7006, elizabeth.cronin@ndsu.edu