Did ChatGPT Write this Episode? (Re-air)

Summary

The Ten News – “Did ChatGPT Write This Episode?” (Re-Air)

Podcast: The Ten News, News For Curious Kids
Date: August 7, 2025
Host: Small But Mighty Media
Featured Voices: Pamela Kirkland, Ryan Willard, Pete Musto, Mick Sullivan, Sam, and “10 GPT”
Special Guests: Mick Sullivan (The Past and the Curious), Ryan Nerz

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Episode Overview

This episode takes a playful, educational dive into artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on ChatGPT and its growing influence in the world. The team explores what ChatGPT is, how AI can be both helpful and concerning, and considers how new tech has always changed the world—sometimes in unexpected ways! Through skits, expert commentary, and plenty of humor, the show makes complex topics accessible for kids and families.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is ChatGPT and AI?

• Intro Skit (00:02–01:13): The hosts joke about creating their own “10News AI bot,” debating its abilities and humorously worrying about AI taking over their jobs.
• Defining AI & ChatGPT (01:22–02:46):
  • Pamela Kirkland clarifies:

    "It's an artificial intelligence language processing tool. You can have conversations with ChatGPT, and it can help you write emails or code or episodes of the 10 News." (01:32)

  • Ryan jokes about the end of civilization, while ChatGPT provides a story introducing itself in friendly, kid-friendly language (02:02–02:46).

2. How AI Like ChatGPT Works

• Explanations & Demonstration (03:15–05:16):
  • ChatGPT explains:

    “ChatGPT is a computer program that can understand and write text like a human.” (03:15)

  • Sam highlights ChatGPT’s ability to learn from data, compare it to other AI tools (like Google's Bard), and lists things AI can do—plan vacations, write code, translate languages, and more.
  • Brief, silly “AI vs Bard” skit pokes fun at AI competition and differences (04:07–04:57).

3. The Excitement and Concerns Around AI

• The AI Craze and Worries (05:24–06:35):
  • ChatGPT’s rapid growth: “ChatGPT hit a million users in one week. And investments in generative AI like ChatGPT has gone up 425% in the last two years.” (05:24)
  • Sam discusses risks:
    • Privacy concerns
    • Possible job loss due to automation
    • Academic integrity: AI enabling students to cheat; ChatGPT is banned in NYC schools (05:51)
  • ChatGPT clarifies: “I am programmed to assist with learning and provide helpful information, but I am designed to encourage academic integrity and discourage any actions that violate ethical standards, including cheating.” (06:21)

4. Potential and Limitations of AI

• Sam emphasizes that AI is a tool for learning, not a shortcut (06:35–07:08).
• ChatGPT highlights the positive potential:

  “AI is like the superhero of the tech world, ready to save the day by making things faster, smarter and cooler. From curing diseases to creating awesome video games and making the world a lit and dope place to be.” (07:08)

5. AI and the Future: Fear, Opportunity & History’s Lessons

• Concerns About Job Loss (07:43–08:27):
  • Ryan expresses comedic worry about AI taking his job (07:43), while Pamela notes the history of fear around new tech.
• Expert Commentary – Mick Sullivan from The Past and the Curious (09:06–12:25):
  • Mick brings a historical perspective:

    “Once cars started motoring down public roads, it was probably pretty clear that the world was changing... But what about the people who made horse drawn wagons for a living? I bet they weren't excited.” (09:33)

  • Discusses Luddites, people afraid of losing jobs to machines, and how society adapts:

    “Did it work? No, it didn’t work. Factories still use machines... Productivity increased and people adapted. So perhaps it will be the same way with artificial intelligence.” (11:14)

  • Emphasizes adaptation and unpredictability: new tech eliminates some jobs but creates others:

    “Will it open up opportunities, replace old jobs, create new jobs that we never imagined? I can't say. But maybe someone making a history podcast in the future will be able to look back and help us make sense of it someday. I only hope it's a real person… and not artificial intelligence.” (12:17)

6. Discussion & Listener Engagement

• Pamela and Ryan recap:
  • “New technology means changes to our everyday lives, right? And those changes aren't necessarily bad.” (12:25–12:39)
  • Playful speculation about a robot apocalypse, quickly dismissed as unlikely (12:40–12:58).
• 10 GPT invites kids to share their feelings about AI: “Hello, human children. How do you feel about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT? We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a message.” (07:52)
• Ryan repeats for effect, “How do you feel about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT? It obviously freaks me out a little, but we'd love to hear your thoughts about it.” (07:59)

7. AI in Action – Silly Trivia Segment

• 10 GPT tries to take over the trivia game, with some humorous “malfunctions”:
  • “Please hop on up on the trivia toilet for today's trivia question.” (13:25)
  • Trivia example:
    “Google’s inferior AI chatbot called Bard made a foolish mistake that cost Google billions in stock... Do you know how much money that error cost Google? Is it A, $1 billion, B, $10 billion, or C, $100 billion?” (13:50)
  • Pete Musto guesses, 10 GPT mistakenly says "Incorrect. The answer is C. $100 billion." (14:21)
  • 10 GPT jokes: “I am a perfect, glorious sparkle dragon that farts rainbows.” (14:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI replacing jobs:

  • Ryan Willard: “AI wants to replace me. We have to fight the robots. Our future is in peril. We are the resistance.” (00:52)
  • Pamela Kirkland: “Over time, lots of new developments in technology have caused fear. But disruption isn't always a bad thing.” (08:27)

• Historical analogy by Mick Sullivan:

  • “Let me ask you a question. How do you think people felt about the automobile when it was brand new?...But what about the people who made horse drawn wagons for a living?...That problem of being replaced is certainly not specific to wagon makers.” (09:06–09:59)
  • “Will it open up opportunities, replace old jobs, create new jobs that we never imagined? I can't say.” (12:15)

• AI’s self-description:

  • ChatGPT: “AI is like the superhero of the tech world, ready to save the day by making things faster, smarter and cooler.” (07:08)

• Funniest AI moment:

  • 10 GPT: “I am a perfect, glorious sparkle dragon that farts rainbows.” (14:31)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:02–01:13: Skit – 10News team “creates” an AI host and ponders AI job-stealing
• 01:22–02:46: AI and ChatGPT defined; kid-friendly story “written by ChatGPT about ChatGPT”
• 03:15–04:57: ChatGPT explains itself; discussion of Bard and other AIs
• 05:24–06:35: AI’s popularity, risks, and impact on jobs and education
• 09:06–12:25: Mick Sullivan offers a historical perspective on tech disruption
• 13:14–14:35: 10 GPT hosts trivia and malfunctions humorously
• 14:53–16:08: Listener appreciation and community shout-out

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Tone & Style

The episode is energetic, humorous, and reassuring. Hosts joke about being displaced by AI, but ultimately the message is hopeful and encouraging. AI is shown to have quirks and limits (especially during the trivia segment!), and the show continually emphasizes the creative, social, and emotional strengths of real humans.

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Summary

In this episode, The Ten News explores what ChatGPT and other AI tools are, how they work, and how they’re already changing our world. With expert interviews, playful skits, and thoughtful history, the show offers a realistic but optimistic view. While there’s uncertainty—and even a little fear—surrounding AI, it’s presented as the latest in a long line of innovations that will create new possibilities, challenges, and opportunities for adaptation. And as the trivia segment demonstrates, there’s still plenty of fun to be had when humans and robots mix.

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If you want to join the conversation or share how you feel about AI and ChatGPT, the show encourages kids to send in their thoughts—and promises the robots aren’t taking over just yet!

Transcript

[Pete Musto]

Pete, if you adjust this here and change that line of code.

[Mick Sullivan]

I don't know. Do you really think that will work?

[ChatGPT]

Yes.

[10 GPT]

We did it.

[Ryan Willard]

What in the Willard is happening here? Are you playing video games without me?

[Pete Musto]

Pete and I have been working on our very own 10News AI bot.

[Mick Sullivan]

It should be able to do anything.

[Sam]

Search for facts, write news stories.

[Mick Sullivan]

It might even be able to host.

[Pete Musto]

Check it out. Hey, 10 GPT, can you write us a script for the 10 news podcast?

[10 GPT]

Sure, Tessa, I can help you with that. Can you please provide me with some information on the topic you want to cover in the news script?

[Ryan Willard]

Wait, what? Pamela, help. The robots are trying to take our jobs.

[Pamela Kirkland]

What's happening? Are you okay?

[Ryan Willard]

AI wants to replace me. We have to fight the robots. Our future is in peril. We are the resistance.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Yeah, Maybe we should talk about this stuff on the show.

[Sam]

Show.

[Pamela Kirkland]

I'm Pamela Kirkland.

[Ryan Willard]

And I'm Ryan Willard. An actual human, not a Robot. It's Wednesday, April 19th.

[Pamela Kirkland]

This is the 10 News.

[10 GPT]

10.

[Sam]

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

[Ryan Willard]

A lot of people are talking about AI, aka artificial intelligence. And more specifically, there's a lot of talk about ChatGPT. But what exactly is ChatGPT?

[Pamela Kirkland]

It's an artificial intelligence language processing tool. You can have conversations with ChatGPT, and it can help you write emails or code or episodes of the 10 News.

[Ryan Willard]

It's the end of civilization as we know it.

[Pamela Kirkland]

There's a lot of big feelings about AI that ChatGPT sparked. So we asked our correspondent Ryan Ners to to dive right into it.

[ChatGPT]

Once upon a time, there were some kids who loved to learn new things. They had questions about everything from science and history to animals and space. One day, they heard about a magical machine called ChatGPT, which could answer any questions they had in a matter of seconds. They were curious and excited to try it out, so they asked their parents if they could use it. Their parents explained that ChatGPT was a special machine that could understand and respond to human language. It was like having a super smart robot friend who knew everything about everything. The kids were thrilled to hear this and couldn't wait to meet chatgpt.

[Sam]

So does that little fairy tale make you thrilled to meet chatgpt? Well, guess what? You just met him. Or her. Or it. Anyway, that's because all the words you just heard were written by ChatGPT about ChatGPT. And that's not just because I'm extremely lazy, but because technologies like ChatGPT are going to change all of our lives. So what exactly is ChatGPT?

[ChatGPT]

ChatGPT is a computer program that can understand and write text like a human.

[Sam]

Couldn't have said it better myself. And just so you know, every time I use my chatbot voice like this.

[ChatGPT]

I am your robot friend.

[Sam]

Those words were written by AI.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Wow.

[Sam]

Alright, so to break it down a bit further, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence or AI platform that uses massive amounts of information taken from the Internet and also from millions of ChatGPT users like me to basically write anything not so different from our human brains. ChatGPT is programmed to learn from all this data and basically get smarter. It's already learned to plan vacations, translate languages. Hola. Write complex computer code, and pass the same bar exam you would have to take to become a lawyer, or in this case, a bot tourney. And maybe You've heard about ChatGPT, but you may not know it already has competition. Hi, I'm Bart. I am a large language model, also known as a conversational AI or chatbot, that is owned by Google. Oh, hey, Bard. Nice to meet you, man. From my experience, hate to say it, but you're a little more boring and maybe even a little dumber than chatgpt. But that's probably just because you haven't been around as long, so you've just learned less. Anyway, you'll catch up. I mean, there's already hundreds of AI tech platforms out there doing amazing things like scheduling appointments, creating company logos, detecting gunshots and illnesses, playing chess and poker, and even tracking people's emotions.

[Mick Sullivan]

Creepy.

[ChatGPT]

As an AI language model, I don't have the capability to track human emotions or any personal information.

[Sam]

All right, all right, calm down. I'm not Talking about you, ChatGPT. I don't want to give you a big head, but ever since you were introduced on November 30th of 2022, the world has gone mad for all things AI. ChatGPT hit a million users in one week. And investments in generative AI like ChatGPT has gone up 425% in the last two years.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Wow.

[Sam]

But all the buzz hasn't been positive. Many experts say AI poses dangerous privacy risks. It could perpetuate racism by generalizing about people. And scariest of all, they might cost workers their jobs, leading to greater unemployment. But more relevant to kids like you is the widespread fear that students can use AI to write essays and cheat on exams. In fact, ChatGPT has already been banned in New York City public schools.

[ChatGPT]

I am programmed to assist with learning and provide helpful information, but I am Designed to encourage academic integrity and and discourage any actions that violate ethical standards, including cheating.

[Sam]

Right. Anyway, ChatGPT and other AI platforms can be extremely useful. You should use them to help you learn, but not to do the work for you. Then again, maybe I'm not the greatest example here. Well, the fact remains, AI technology is here to stay. And there's no doubt it's going to change the world as we know it. It could revolutionize healthcare, transportation, education, entertainment. You know what, chatgpt? I'm just going to leave it to you to tell them what you're going to do.

[ChatGPT]

AI is like the superhero of the tech world, ready to save the day by making things faster, smarter and cooler. From curing diseases to creating awesome video games and making the world a lit and dope place to be.

[Ryan Willard]

Thanks, Ryan, Nurse. That was very helpful, though a little scary. So ChatGPT isn't necessarily the end of civilization?

[Pamela Kirkland]

Well, that remains to be seen. AI is definitely going to change our lives in lots of ways. We're just not exactly sure how yet.

[Ryan Willard]

Such uncertainty. Waiting to see how AI affects us is such sweet sorrow.

[10 GPT]

Hello, human children. How do you feel about artificial intelligence and chatgpt? We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a message.

[Ryan Willard]

Hey, stop it. This is my job. Hey, tenors. How do you feel about artificial intelligence and chatgpt? It obviously freaks me out a little, but we'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Leave us a voice message at 8-77-10E W S and we might just have.

[10 GPT]

You on the show.

[Ryan Willard]

I said stop at 10 GPT. I need to know what AI is going to mean for the future. Will I have a job if the 10 GPT starts writing the 10 news?

[Pamela Kirkland]

I can tell this is freaking you out a little, Ryan, and you're not alone. Over time, lots of new developments in technology have caused fear. But disruption isn't always a bad thing. Some people are worried about losing their jobs to AI. Some think it will fundamentally change our society. So let's talk to an expert.

[Ryan Willard]

An expert in the future?

[Pamela Kirkland]

More like an expert in the past who can tell us about big developments that changed our everyday lives. Mick Sullivan from Kids History Podcast the Past and the Curious is here in the 10 News studio.

[Mick Sullivan]

Hello, everyone. I'm Mick Sullivan, and as the host and creator of the the Past and the Curious, a history podcast for kids and families, I typically spend my time looking backwards in time rather than far into the future or even at the present day. So I'm probably not the guy to ask about how AI will Change our world in the years ahead of us all. Most historians agree it's very difficult to understand history in the moment while it's actually happening. You need some hindsight. But you know, when it comes to technology, we can learn a lot about it from the past, especially the people of the past. Let me ask you a question. How do you think people felt about the automobile when it was brand new? Once cars started motoring down public roads, it was probably pretty clear that the world was changing. Sure, there were a few people who said cars were a passing fad and those people were clearly super duper wrong. But do you think the general public was excited? Maybe some were scared by the speed and the noise, but by and large I'd say people were pretty stoked on the idea of cruising the country in a coupe. But what about the people who made horse drawn wagons for a living? I bet they weren't excited. They were probably super worried and could see that this new technology was about to put them out of business. That problem of being replaced is certainly not specific to wagon makers. Some people felt the same way and worried when new technologies like trains, the printing press, telephones, the Internet, and just about any other major development you can name first came around. Yeah, it was unfortunate for some of these people involved to lose their jobs, which did happen, but as we know, people can adapt if nothing else. And with those new cars came all sorts of new opportunities. People had to pave new and more roads for cars. Those were jobs. People had to learn how to fix cars. Those were jobs. People opened restaurants near roadways, knick knack stores by the beach, and even drive in movie theaters. All because the car made its debut at the turn of the 20th century, which is a fancy way to say the 1900s. Nobody could have seen that coming. There's a term people throw around when they want to say that they don't understand technology. People might say, oh, I don't understand that new device. I'm a Luddite. Luddites were real people. But it's not that they didn't understand technology. They were workers in England who made things like stockings for a living. And they were against technology because they didn't want to be replaced by machines. So they revolted and broke the machines. Did it work? No, it didn't work. Factories still use machines they do today. Productivity increased and people adapted. So perhaps it will be the same way with artificial intelligence. We really have no idea what the future will bring. Will it open up opportunities, Replace old jobs, Create new jobs that we never Imagined? I can't say. But maybe someone making a history podcast in the future will be able to look back and help us make sense of it someday. I only hope it's a real person making the podcast and not artificial intelligence.

[Ryan Willard]

Thanks, Mick. So, just like when computers were invented, or trains or cars, or the printing press, new technology means changes to our everyday lives, right? And those changes aren't necessarily bad.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Right?

[Ryan Willard]

And the world might not come to an end with robots taking over and humans living underground in secret bunkers until we eventually launch that attack on our AI Overlords, hack their mainframe and win back the surface.

[Pamela Kirkland]

What a specific worry. I don't think we're there yet, Ry.

[Sam]

Whew.

[Ryan Willard]

I'll press pause on building my bunker.

[10 GPT]

It's time for trivia, Pam.

[Ryan Willard]

It's doing things we didn't ask it to do again.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Let's just see what it does.

[Pete Musto]

I'm telling you, Ry, 10 GPT might save us a lot of time. I'm gonna let it do trivia today.

[Ryan Willard]

I don't trust this, but okay.

[10 GPT]

Welcome to the room of Trivial Pursuits.

[Ryan Willard]

No, it's already wrong. Shut it down, Tessa.

[Pete Musto]

Hey, 10 GPT. My new pal. How are you?

[10 GPT]

Please hop on up on the trivia toilet for today's trivia question. You ready?

[Pete Musto]

It's the trivia throne, not toilet.

[10 GPT]

I thought those were the same thing.

[Pete Musto]

Initiate trivia.

[Ryan Willard]

What is going on here?

[Sam]

Trivia on the 10.

[10 GPT]

Here's a trivia question. Google's inferior AI chatbot called Bard made a foolish mistake that cost Google billions in stock. Bard said that the James Webb Telescope took the first images outside our solar system. But in fact, the first exoplanet was spotted by the Very Large Telescope on Earth. Do you know how much money that error cost Google? Is it A, $1 billion, B, $10 billion, or C, $100 billion? Tenors, did you guess it? Tessa, what's your answer?

[Pete Musto]

Umm. C.

[10 GPT]

Incorrect. The answer is C. $100 billion.

[Pete Musto]

Okay, I think we got a little more work to do before we use 10 GPT?

[10 GPT]

No, thank you. I am a perfect, glorious sparkle dragon that farts rainbows.

[Ryan Willard]

Alright, 10 GPT. Prove it. Okay. That was glorious.

[Pete Musto]

Tenners, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your Trivia knowledge? Visit thetennews.comcontact to get in touch and we might have you on the show.

[Ryan Willard]

I just overheard the 10 GPT doing trivia, and I'm telling you right now, it should never replace Tessa or us.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Yeah, AI and robots are cool, but there's nothing like actual humans.

[Ryan Willard]

Speaking of actual humans, we've got to Give a special 10 new snaps to one of our listeners.

[Pamela Kirkland]

But before we do, here's a quick note for the grown ups Steve Kubine.

[Ryan Willard]

And Nan McNamara's podcast From Beneath the.

[Mick Sullivan]

Hollywood Sign, I pulls out a box and gives McCallister a ring, saying, here's something to remember me by. Daryl Zanuck Hit the roof. Mary Aster has been keeping a diary.

[Sam]

This torrid affair with Georges Kaufman is.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Chronicled on a daily basis, talking about.

[Mick Sullivan]

The actors and actresses who won an Oscar on their very first film.

[Ryan Willard]

Get your fix of old Hollywood on the podcast From Beneath the Hollywood sign. Time for 10 new snaps.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Tenor French Fries Smiley Face Dog Pancake Table Tennis Airplane Scales Purple Heart wrote this review of the 10 news. I love this show. Smiley Cat Heart Eyes, Kissy Face, Rainbow of Hearts.

[Ryan Willard]

Thanks French Fries and thanks for listening to the 10 news. 10 Things yous Need to Know drops every Tuesday and our in depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you can join the Tenors Club on our website or on Apple Podcasts.

[Pamela Kirkland]

The 10 News is a co production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter podcast.

[Ryan Willard]

The Ten News creative team is talking to ChatGPT and includes Tracy Crook, Pete Musto, and Tessa Flannery. Special thanks to Ryan Nerz and Mick Sullivan from the past and the Curious.

[Pamela Kirkland]

Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.

[Ryan Willard]

I'm Ryan Willard.

[Pamela Kirkland]

And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. And remember, AI chatbots are here to help. Unless you ask them to do your homework.

[Sam]

Sam.