Growing ChatGPT use on the site.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

But, has anyone yet found any AI-powered stuff really useful? ...
... But, in my ordinary life I don't find any AI stuff particularly useful.

What is your "ordinary life"?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

But, has anyone yet found any AI-powered stuff really useful? I certainly haven't, though I have only dabbled in it. I know a software developer who said it is already useful for writing out tedious code for things when it would take the programmers longer to do the same. But, in my ordinary life I don't find any AI stuff particularly useful.

Did you actually try it and find it not useful or is it your opinion which isn’t based on actual experience?

I started my ChatGPT subscription a couple months ago and found my conversations with it very helpful. I can ask it to go on the web and research things for me, make lists of options I have and order it based on expert knowledge.

I simply can’t see how anyone would find it not helpful except when one never researches anything, don’t need expert opinions etc.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

But, has anyone yet found any AI-powered stuff really useful? I certainly haven't, though I have only dabbled in it. I know a software developer who said it is already useful for writing out tedious code for things when it would take the programmers longer to do the same. But, in my ordinary life I don't find any AI stuff particularly useful.

You may not be interested in AI, but AI is interested in you. Do you have a job? Most types of work are threatened by AI in one way or another.


AI's primary use is not for you and me to do fun stuff with. Its primary use is to get stuff done for businesses and government which would otherwise require human beings to do.

[Kettlewell]

Did you actually try it and find it not useful or is it your opinion which isn’t based on actual experience?

Yes, I did try it casually, and found it not really useful. I'm sure it is used more and more for things I ordinarily do like Google searches and YouTube recommendations, which have gotten worse and worse over the years, so I am not convinced AI is all that wonderful so far. One thing I find is that answers are often well written in a very bland way, lulling one into not questioning the actual information provided. For example, I asked it something about anchors and got a decent response that was OK as far as it went, but left out some key information.

[Iron E]

I use AI all the time.
I've used AI to make interactive forms, formula spreadsheets, and written code for my website.
Because I'm a dork, I use AI to explore and argue philosophical views and assess their validity. I also solve math problems with AI, research with AI, and use AI for specific science I don't fully understand.

I've been using AI since the beginning. I'm currently using multiple paid and free AI tools.
Currently, I'm finding Claude AI to be better than ChatGPT and finding myself using Claude about 70% more than any of the others.

[PippaB]

AI is not unlike Google in that is takes knowledge to use effectively. We talk about 'Google-ĵ', there is a whole website dedicated to 'let me Google that for you', and I can't count the number of CF posts where the response to a question is either 'use Google' or 'here's what Google said.'

Early AI is no different - there are users who know how to write/speak effective prompts, and users who get hopelessly lost and receive drivel in return. True AI will be when the system can intuit the user's request regardless of the user's level of skill in asking the question(s).

My observation is that many of what appear to be AI posts, such as the one that caused the OP of this thread, are one post accounts, and they stay that way with no follow up posts - this negates the idea that they are trying to build credibility to sell you something. There are enough of these one-post wonders with no follow through to the point now that I try not to respond to a first post, even though that is unfair to someone who might join the forum specifically because they have a thorny technical question. Case in point is the original post that caused this thread, six months later that account still shows only the one post.

[wholybee]

I use it quite a lot. I am even (I shudder to admit) starting to like the A.I. summaries at the top of a google search. I wish I could turn them off when they aren't appropriate to my search, but quite often, I do read them and find them useful.

I don't think the impact is going to be as broad or as fast as predicted and feared. The current generation of transformer based A.I. will not replace very many jobs, but will augment them. People who refuse or can't learn how to use them will find themselves out of work, but the jobs will still be their, filled by people that did learn how to use them. And there is a real limit to what the current technology can do. The past few years haven't seen much of a technical improvement, other than throwing more money and more computational power at them. At some point, which is as likely 50 years away as it is 5 years away, a whole new technology that works in a different way will replace what we are doing now. Something that will work faster with less resources. That is not based on transformers at all, but some new idea. That is when AI might become "General A.I." and when we really need to start to worry. But for now, I am not concerned much at all.

I'm more concerned about how it is used in abusive ways, like bots on forums, or deep fakes changing election results and manipulating public opinion. But, A.I. is a tool for those act. People have been trolling forums and making fake news stories since the beginning of civilization.

[MiddayEnglishmn]

Heh, didn’t need to hire an electrician at all as my AI guided me via photos how to rig it up.. we got navigation lights!.

My AI has same name as and thinks it is my boat. The onboard AI.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by MiddayEnglishmn

Heh, didn’t need to hire an electrician at all as my AI guided me via photos how to rig it up.. we got navigation lights!.

My AI has same name as and thinks it is my boat. The onboard AI.

Welcome to CF Midday

[GordMay]

I use Google Search, multiple times, every day; and Google could be considered as a ['sort of'] AI, because it uses a variety of artificial intelligence techniques, like machine learning algorithms, in its search algorithms, and other services.

“How Google uses AI (artificial intelligence) in search” ~ by Daniel Højris Bæk
➥ https://seo.ai/blog/google-ai-artificial-intelligence

“9 ways we use AI in our products” ~ by Justin Burr, Google AI Team
➥ https://blog.google/technology/ai/9-...-our-products/

“What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?” ~ according to Google
➥ https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-...l-intelligence

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Yes, I did try it casually, and found it not really useful. I'm sure it is used more and more for things I ordinarily do like Google searches and YouTube recommendations, which have gotten worse and worse over the years, so I am not convinced AI is all that wonderful so far. One thing I find is that answers are often well written in a very bland way, lulling one into not questioning the actual information provided. For example, I asked it something about anchors and got a decent response that was OK as far as it went, but left out some key information.

Your experience is very dated and when you pay for decent AI it is nothing like Google. Give me that something you wanted to know about anchors and I’ll show you a good AI response

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I use Google Search, multiple times, every day; and Google could be considered as a ['sort of'] AI, because it uses a variety of artificial intelligence techniques, like machine learning algorithms, in its search algorithms, and other services.

“How Google uses AI (artificial intelligence) in search” ~ by Daniel Højris Bæk
➥ https://seo.ai/blog/google-ai-artificial-intelligence

“9 ways we use AI in our products” ~ by Justin Burr, Google AI Team
➥ https://blog.google/technology/ai/9-...-our-products/

“What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?” ~ according to Google
➥ https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-...l-intelligence

No, Google search doesn’t even touch the level of AI you can get. Give an example of what you would search for and I’ll show ChatGPT 4.0 to compare with Google.

[Kettlewell]

Give me that something you wanted to know about anchors and I’ll show you a good AI response

Here's a question trending on the forum today.

Which anchor as backup?

[anotherT34C]

I’m a heavy AI user (control systems engineering). I find its abilities in some respects superhuman and in others laughably stupid. Most of our jobs include at least some tasks where AI will have superhuman ability, and some where it falls very short. I see many of my colleagues focusing on the latter and feeling safe, not realizing that we might not need quite as many of them once we offload the AI-able work.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Here's a question trending on the forum today.

This is ChatGPT 4o which is the light version, which is good enough for this

See how important it is to expand the context by asking for more detail, options etc.

Not surprised that I have the #1 option aboard