Using ChatGPT to shorten my bio
I continue exploring how ChatGPT can be used meaningfully in my daily life. Today, I have looked at how it can help me rewrite my bio.
Whenever I do some public speaking, I typically need to submit a bio for the event page. Often, the organizers ask about a particular number of words (60, 100, 200, etc.). This falls within the category of “publicazione con variazione”, and is mainly an annoying and time-consuming task.
Now, I started with the bio that is on my UiO personal page:
Alexander Refsum Jensenius, BA, MA, MSc, PhD [he/him] is a music researcher and research musician. He is a professor of music technology and Director of RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion. He studies how and why people move to music in the fourMs Lab and uses this knowledge to create new music with untraditional instruments. He is widely published, including the books Sound Actions and A NIME Reader. As a member of the EUA Expert Group on Open Science, he is involved in modernising how research is conceived and conducted. He has also been experimenting with new educational approaches in the master’s programme Music, Communication and Technology and the online courses Music Moves, Motion Capture and Pupillometry. Alexander received a multi-disciplinary BA degree in music and mathematics and an MA in musicology from the University of Oslo. He then completed an MSc in applied information technology at the Chalmers University of Technology before pursuing a PhD in music technology at the University of Oslo. He has been a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley (CNMAT), McGill University (IDMIL), and KTH (TMH). He was Head of the Department of Musicology from 2013-2016 and led the Steering Committee of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression from 2011-2022.
It is a typical academic bio, where one packs in a lot of details in a compact form. But how can this be rewritten programmatically?
Rewriting the bio
I began by asking ChatGPT to rewrite it:
Can you rewrite this biography for me?
Alexander Refsum Jensenius, a music researcher and research musician, holds multiple degrees including a BA, MA, MSc, and a PhD. Currently, he serves as a professor of music technology and holds the position of Director at the prestigious RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion.
Alexander’s primary area of expertise lies in understanding the intricate relationship between music and movement. Through extensive research conducted at the fourMs Lab, he investigates the underlying mechanisms of how and why people move to music. Leveraging this valuable knowledge, Alexander ventures into the realm of creating innovative music using unconventional instruments. His work has been widely recognized and published in notable works such as “Sound Actions” and “A NIME Reader”.
In addition to his research pursuits, Alexander remains actively involved in shaping the future of research practices. As a member of the EUA Expert Group on Open Science, he contributes significantly to the modernization and advancement of research methodologies.
Alexander has also made significant contributions to the field of education. He has pioneered new and progressive approaches within the master’s programme Music, Communication and Technology, as well as through online courses such as Music Moves, Motion Capture, and Pupillometry.
His academic journey started with a multi-disciplinary BA degree in music and mathematics, followed by an MA in musicology from the University of Oslo. Seeking to expand his knowledge further, Alexander pursued an MSc in applied information technology at the esteemed Chalmers University of Technology. Ultimately, he embarked on a PhD in music technology at the University of Oslo, solidifying his expertise in the field.
Throughout his career, Alexander has also experienced enriching research opportunities as a visiting researcher at renowned institutions including UC Berkeley (CNMAT), McGill University (IDMIL), and KTH (TMH).
Furthermore, he has assumed leadership roles, serving as the Head of the Department of Musicology from 2013 to 2016 and leading the Steering Committee of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression from 2011 to 2022. Alexander’s extensive experience and expertise make him a highly respected figure in the realm of music research and innovation.
It is interesting to see how it added some “glam” to the text: “prestigious”, “enriching”, “highly respected”. These are words that I would typically not have used myself, having been brought up with a certain level of Norwegian modesty. However, given that it shows up here, it is probably part of a “bio jargon” on the web.
Shortening the bio
More interesting than rewriting is shortening. I therefore asked ChatGPT:
Can you make a shorter version?
Alexander Refsum Jensenius, a music researcher and professor, is renowned for his studies on how and why people move to music. As the Director of RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, he uses this knowledge to create unique music with unconventional instruments. Alexander holds multiple degrees, including a BA, MA, MSc, and a PhD. He is widely published and has made significant contributions to modernizing research practices. Additionally, he has pioneered new educational approaches and served in leadership roles in the field of musicology. Overall, Alexander is a respected figure in the realm of music research and innovation.
This is not too bad, although it has added some other “glam” that was not part of the original bio: “renowned”, “unique”, “respected”.
and an even shorter version?
Alexander Refsum Jensenius is a renowned music researcher and professor who uses his expertise to create unique music. He holds multiple degrees, has made significant contributions to modernizing research practices and education, and is a respected figure in the field of music innovation.
Here it suddenly introduced “innovation”, which is perhaps not wrong, but still not something I think about myself.
and an even shorter version?
Alexander Refsum Jensenius is a respected music researcher and professor known for creating unique music.
This one is not wrong either, I guess, but still quite far from what I would have written myself.
The prompt is key
For such tasks, the prompt being used is critical. The shortened versions above were based on the previous one. This can easily lead to errors being carried over and further misinterpreted. So, I wanted to go back to using my source bio as the starting point for shortening:
Can you make a one sentence version of the first bio I entered?
Alexander Refsum Jensenius, BA, MA, MSc, PhD [he/him], is a professor of music technology and Director of RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, specializing in studying how and why people move to music and using this knowledge to create new music with untraditional instruments.
This is quite a nice short version, I think, and something I could probably send off.
Making a longer bio
I did a final test where I asked ChatGPT to write a longer bio for me. The result was not too bad, although it added even more “glam” to the longer descriptions of my achievements. I will not post the result here, though, because it also introduced some factual errors, including some wrong dates and years.
All in all, I think ChatGPT can be helpful for rewriting and shortening text. However, as this simple example showed, it is crucial to be critical about the outcome. Expanding text, on the other hand, is tricky. It will build on public knowledge (at least on web pages) but since it does not have any fact checker built in, it can introduce errors and bias.