"Why Wouldn’t They Reread It?" — School Uses ChatGPT to Create Yearbook

OpenAI's ChatGPT has undoubtedly changed the way the world works, and it’s already been blamed for killing off some careers and contributing to a decrease in industry salaries. It’s become so widely used that some companies have started implementing no-ChatGPT policies, and schools have had to take extra steps to catch students trying to cheat their way through classes.

While it’s not always easy to spot when ChatGPT has been used, there are times it leaves behind not-so-subtle clues that give it away instantly. That appears to be the case in a situation described by TikTok user Raul (@rtbjj19), who claims his school used ChatGPT to help piece together his 2024/2025 yearbook. Here’s how he found out.

In Raul’s 12-second TikTok clip, he starts off sounding totally appalled, saying, "I paid $65 for this, bro," and flips open his school yearbook to a specific page. "They used ChatGPT in this, bro," he adds, pointing directly at the evidence.

On a page that appears to be dedicated to a group within the school, the Future Farmers of America, at the end of an extra-long paragraph it reads, "Feel free to let me know if you need any adjustments or additional information!"

Will do, ChatGPT. How about next time … leave off that little side note?! It’s pretty shocking to find something like this in a school yearbook, but if I’m being honest, it's also kind of comical.

I mean, why wouldn’t they edit it before approving it for publishing? Clearly, this commenter was thinking the same thing I was (along with thousands of others) when they wrote, "Why wouldn’t they re-read it?"

And seriously, if you’re going to go through the trouble of using ChatGPT (which I’m guessing the school didn’t approve), why not at least skim the text? It’s a yearbook, after all, hundreds of people are going to see it.

What’s more, the writer in me couldn’t help but notice that the last names of the first two people listed in the caption under the photo at the bottom of the page aren’t even capitalized.

Now, I’m not entirely sure who’s to blame here, maybe the Future Farmers of America group or their organizer, if they were in charge of their own page.

Or maybe the whole yearbook committee (at least, that’s who handled it back in my day). But you can bet someone’s getting called into the principal’s office once they get wind of this.

Either several people were out sick on the day of editing, or someone was on such a strict deadline they just took whatever ChatGPT spit out and said, "Publish it, I’m done." While it’s definitely surprising, one TikToker managed to find the silver lining in the situation, writing, "Wait but that’s actually incredible. Yearbooks are to preserve memories of the school year. This serves as a true testament to the 2025 student experience." And that it does!

It seems the lesson here is quite simple: Just take the extra minute and reread your text. It could save you from being the talk of the school, or worse, being the center of a viral moment on TikTok.