  ChatGPT has been emerging as a novel information source, and it is likely
that the public might seek information from ChatGPT while taking protective
actions when facing climate hazards such as floods and hurricanes. The
objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of
responses generated by ChatGPT when individuals seek information about aspects
of taking protective actions. The survey analysis results indicated that: (1)
the emergency managers considered the responses provided by ChatGPT as accurate
and complete to a great extent; (2) it was statistically verified in
evaluations that the generated information was accurate, but lacked
completeness, implying that the extent of information provided is accurate; and
(3) information generated for prompts related to hazard insurance received the
highest evaluation, whereas the information generated related to evacuation
received the lowest. This last result implies that, for complex,
context-specific protective actions (such as evacuation), the information was
rated as less complete compared with other protective actions. Also, the
results showed that the perception of respondents regarding the utility of AI-
assistive technologies (such as ChatGPT) for emergency preparedness and
response improved after taking the survey and evaluating the information
generated by ChatGPT. The findings from this study provide empirical evaluation
regarding the utility of AI-assistive technologies for improving public
decision-making and protective actions in disasters.
