2023-03-01
My bio according to ChatGPT
It was a simple question. The answer can easily be found with some targeted searches. However, even if you would only look at information predating 2021, ChatGPT made quite some factual mistakes when I asked the service to write a bio about myself:
The most obvious mistake, is my birthday and birth place. When I asked ChatGPT to double-check, it said:
I apologize for the errors in the previous bio. Here's a corrected version: [...] Lowagie was born on January 3, 1969, in Ghent, Belgium.
That's not correct either. Eventually, ChatGPT will probably guess the correct date and place, but I don't have the patience to wait for it to find out.
I am still called the CEO of iText Group, although I had myself already replaced as CEO in April 2016. ChatGPT also isn't aware of the fact that I left the company in September 2018.
A more surprising error is that I earned a Ph.D. in applied sciences. In the corrected version, ChatGPT is more accurate:
He studied civil engineering at Ghent University and later earned a Master of Science degree in applied sciences from the same university.
I also told ChatGPT that I never worked for Siemens or Barco. ChatGPT took another guess:
After completing his education, he worked as a software engineer for several companies, including Hewlett-Packard, where he gained experience in software development and project management.
That's not true either. I gained experience in software development and project management at TRASYS and Ghent University (as an employee, not as a student).
iText Group (formerly known as 1T3XT) wasn't founded with the goal of creating a library, but with the goal to monetize an existing open source library.
As for the book 'The ABC of PDF with iText': this was indeed the working title of a book about PDF and iText, but it was never officially released under that title. Instead, several other manuals were distributed, each dealing with a different aspect of creating and manipulating PDF.
Finally, I have never spoken at ApacheCon unless someone impersonated me to give a talk in my stead.
If you really want to know more about me, I suggest reading the book Entreprenerd: Building a Multi-Million-Dollar Business with Open Source Software.
Entreprenerd
Wintercircus
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