Have you used artificial intelligence?

The person sitting next to me during a session on AI suggested the topic.

I’ve learned that ChatGPT somehow ‘knows’ me. It described my Prairie Fare column when I commissioned it.

GPT is an abbreviation for ‘Generative Pre-trained Transformer’.

I thought it knew too much about me. I have “Siri” and “Alexa” devices on my phone and in my home. Are these devices listening to me and reporting the information to the digital universe?

After the dogs and food suggestion, I noticed a disclaimer that the information provided may be inaccurate. That certainly didn’t give me any confidence in the mystical powers of AI.

An article appeared on my screen. It told the story about ‘my’ dog, Buddy the retriever, who was advised by his vet to eat green beans to lose weight.

I don’t have a retriever named Buddy. I highly doubt any vet would recommend a green bean diet.

Maybe the devices aren’t in tune with my life. However, I think I will unplug some of these electronic listening ears.

We all leave a virtual trail when we shop online or explore different websites. These digital pieces of information are called ‘cookies’.

You may have noticed that products are suggested on social media when you shop online or visit websites. As a result of my purchases, I am constantly seeing new cookbooks and dog supplies on social media.

Almost every conference I have attended in recent years has had a session on AI and its uses. Since our faculty is on a college campus, they are figuring out how to use this new technology in education.

Technology will continue to evolve and experts predict this will make us more efficient.

If you search for a topic online, you will likely see the “AI overview” at the beginning of the message that comes back to you.

How do you know if information is reliable? We often use a system developed by librarians at California State University – Chico called the CRAAP test. That’s quite memorable, isn’t it? You can pronounce the abbreviation however you want.

It stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.

Let’s dig deeper. When you are looking for information, you want it to be recent (current) and to answer your questions at the right level. Is it relevant to you? Are you the intended audience?

You also want to know if the author has any authority on the subject and if the information is accurate (based on recent research). You also want to know what the purpose of the information is. Is it trying to sell you something or is it just informative and useful?

You can use this simple test to detect false information about nutrition, health, food storage and other topics.

Well, I have to go check on my dog ​​Buddy. Oops, I don’t have a dog with that name.

I’ll keep an open mind, but I don’t plan on asking AI to write my Prairie Fare column. That’s where you can help me.

Over the past few years I’ve been making random drawings for Field to Fork calendars with 12 new recipes and lots of tips. I ask that you suggest a possible topic for a future Prairie Fare column by November 15. Go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/2025NDSUCalendar or email me at julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu with the subject line ‘Calendar Drawing’ .” Please let me know your topic idea along with your name and mailing address. Maybe you are the lucky winner of one of the 50 calendars.

I promise not to use your information for anything other than the drawing. Your topic idea may appear in a future Prairie Fare column, so thank you.

Here’s a colorful recipe featuring fiber- and protein-rich lentils and vegetables with feta cheese, olives and a light dressing. The Mediterranean Diet has been linked to heart health benefits through years of research. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and view our many recipes and videos.

Greek lentil salad in a Mediterranean style

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1½ cups of water
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup green peppers, chopped
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Place the lentils and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 15-20 minutes), then drain and cool. In a large bowl, combine lentils, olives, onion, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, feta cheese and parsley. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice and oregano. Toss salad with dressing to coat.

Makes eight servings. Each serving contains 220 calories, 9 grams (g) of fat, 4 g of protein, 13 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of fiber and 90 milligrams of sodium.