# AI Confusion: How ChatGPT Turned a Jersey City Bookstore into a Vet and Shipping Center
Something odd has been happening at WORD Bookstore in Jersey City. This independent shop has suddenly become the target of some truly strange customer requests.
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People keep asking about veterinary care and shipping services—things that have nothing to do with selling books. The culprit? ChatGPT, OpenAI’s language model, seems to have mixed things up, and the confusion spilled over into real life.
When AI Gets It Wrong: WORD Bookstore’s Unusual Customer Requests
You’ll find WORD Bookstore at 29 McWilliams Place. It’s a much-loved spot for book lovers in Jersey City.
Lately, though, the staff have been facing a new kind of challenge. Customers walk in expecting all sorts of services that just don’t fit a bookstore.
From Books to… Veterinary Services?
Will Olsen, one of the staff, has seen it firsthand. People show up asking for emergency vet care or to ship packages, and everyone at the store gets a little more bewildered each time.
After poking around, they figured out what was going on. ChatGPT had been telling people that WORD Bookstore offered these services when folks asked about local options.
“We sell books,” Olsen has had to say over and over. At this point, maybe the whole team should just wear it on a t-shirt.
Understanding AI “Hallucinations” and Their Real-World Impact
OpenAI calls these mistakes “AI hallucinations.” Basically, that’s when the AI spits out answers that sound right but aren’t true at all.
This happens a lot with questions about super-local stuff, where the AI’s training data is thin or out of date.
The Danger of Implicit Trust
Here’s the thing: a lot of people trust AI answers without a second thought. If ChatGPT says a bookstore does vet work, some folks just believe it and show up.
That’s a headache for customers and for the businesses getting these off-the-wall requests. When someone pointed out the mistake, ChatGPT updated its answer and stopped listing WORD as a vet.
A Cautionary Tale for the AI Age
Still, the whole episode makes you wonder about how reliable these tools really are. Even with all their smarts, AI systems can mess up and definitely need people keeping an eye on them.
It’s just one more example in the ongoing debate about where AI fits into things like:
Jersey City’s Digital Landscape
For folks living in or visiting Jersey City, it’s honestly worth pausing to double-check information—especially if you’re planning things to do in Jersey City or hunting for a certain service. The city has all these unique districts packed with genuine local businesses, but sometimes the best finds come from old-school searching or just asking around.
If you’re deciding where to stay in Jersey City, maybe don’t trust every AI-generated tip without a little extra digging. There are some great Jersey City hotels out there, but it’s smart to confirm the details straight from the source.
Anyone getting to Jersey City with AI-powered directions might want to keep in mind—even the flashiest tech can fumble simple facts about local spots. It’s almost funny how often that happens, isn’t it?
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Here is the source article for this story: ChatGPT Keeps Sending People to WORD Bookstore in Jersey City for Everything BUT Books
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