Title: Teaching College Students Using a Customized ChatGPT: An Account of the Outcome

In the digital age, technology continues to revolutionize various sectors, and journalism is no exception. One innovative example is Newsroom Mentor, a custom AI model created by a user with no prior coding background or specific knowledge about writing AI prompts. This unique tool was developed using OpenAI's GPT Builder.

Initially, Newsroom Mentor faced some challenges. It was prone to AI hallucinations, producing made-up quotes when asked to rewrite a story. However, the user recognised the potential of Newsroom Mentor and decided to transform it into an educational tool rather than a means for plagiarism or cheating.

The updates to Newsroom Mentor were numerous and purposeful. It was equipped to serve as a guide, offering a suggested outline for a rewrite. It was also trained to refuse to rewrite work for students despite explicit instructions. This was a crucial step towards ensuring the tool's use was ethical and beneficial for learning.

Newsroom Mentor was not just limited to news stories. It was updated to provide advice on writing magazine stories if requested. Moreover, it was designed to recognise and critique magazine pieces, as well as offer examples of what would need to be changed to turn a magazine piece into a news piece.

One of the most significant updates was Newsroom Mentor's ability to identify AP-style stories and point out the absence of direct quotes in a student's story. This feature was particularly useful in ensuring that students were adhering to journalism conventions.

The user, who is affiliated with the Universität der Künste Berlin, also added links to award-winning journalism pieces to update Newsroom Mentor's training set. This ensured that the AI model was learning from high-quality, professional examples.

Despite its improvements, Newsroom Mentor occasionally made errors. For instance, it suggested a circle-back technique in a story that already had one, which the user found annoying. However, these minor glitches did not deter the user from seeing the potential in this innovative tool.

It's important to note that Newsroom Mentor is free for ChatGPT Plus users, but it's not intended nor should it be used as a serious academic resource at this point. The user cautions against relying on AI-generated content, especially in professional settings, as it could potentially lead to the use of AI-generated content, a prohibition in the user's classes and at reputable news publications.

In conclusion, Newsroom Mentor is a promising tool for teaching journalism to college students. It's designed to help students write in a newspaper style while adhering to AP style and other journalism conventions. As with any AI model, it's not perfect, but it's a significant step towards integrating technology into journalism education.