An AI Practical Use Discussion

[Iron E]

When ChatGPT came out, I asked about setting up an onboard media center and got some great ideas for a media center that uses Raspberry Pi or a mini PC, SDD, and Plex to create a media center for a thousand hours of HD content that can be streamed to 3 devices.

The ChatGPT/Bot/AI/ threads so far have drifted so I thought I would start one that just discussed current uses and future uses in connection to you and your boat.

Currently, I use ChatGPT and Claude to create code, spreadsheets, and interactive forms. I use these for detailed information, notes, checklists, provisioning, troubleshooting, flowcharts, etc.

I can foresee future systems that interact with onboard electronics to visually monitor or notify Captains of maintenance or attention.
Notify Captains of weather by monitoring Buoy, Barometer, Wind, etc. information.
Notify Captains of crew health

I'm actually thinking that future systems will be able to create entertainment such as original movies... "Please wait while I create a western for you"

What do you use Chat, Claude, Gemini or your favorite AI Assistant for. And what future plans do you have, or would like to see?

[barnakiel]

Mostly stuff like AP learning algos.


I use generative Ai (for graphics) and it is already half good. Usable, so to say.


But where language got involved, mu trials brought bad results : e.g. I was told lead is heavier than gold. Etc. I was also informed by Google AI that Carlos Alcaraz girlfriend's name is Rafa. I do not know, call Rafa, ask him. He might disagree.


So I think AP steering algos are one place.


And from my own field I would say weather forecasting and ship routing will improve when the models get more AI-centered. I have read the most recent Google AI weather model beats NOAA models. This may be so.


All this said, I do hope to keep my future sailing AI-less. I am actually intending to remove all electronics from my boat as I am getting older. I leave the AI to the next generation to enjoy.


cheers,
b.

[senormechanico]

I will look into AI when it says it can clean out my holding tank by itself.

[grantmc]

Great topic, thanks for posting OP.

Given that I've no life, I have spent many hours amusing myself with ChatGPT. It arrived with such a media fanfare I thought it might be able to assist with many things for me. Initially my use was as a seemingly better search engine, but its results didn’t impress.

I did and do find it great for summarising and giving word and phrase meanings.

I was especially interested to understand some of the more esoteric philosophical tenets. Results were helpful, and avoided the need to actually read up myself (I am lazy at heart). And that inevitably led me to discuss with ChatGPT about such things as the meaning of life, and whether there is a god, and what is heaven and many other questions along those lines. To these the answers were always non committal.

Similarly anything to do with feelings and the software always includes a disclaimer making it clear it doesn’t have feelings. Also it seems to have no ability to discern from good or bad source information.

But I was exceedingly frustrated with its Americanisation. I’d often ask does if it ‘know’ where I was, and yes it always said that it did (no VPN use here folks). And so I’d ask it to please respond using appropriate English and it would assure me that it would do so forever more and even apologised repeatedly for its error. Yet it never ever was able to compose using NZ or even British English. I found that baffling.

I guess I’d sum up my experience to date as analogous to dealing with a 9 year old. Knows lots of stuff but has little understanding of nuance or symbolism.

The likelihood of welcoming the software aboard to and so allow it to be responsible for the lives of crew and self, absolutely zip, nahdah, not a chance. But I will concede we’ll see it incorporated in to Auto Pilots, I think that is inevitable. And I could understand it being used as say an engine management system, but would you trust it to detect an oil pressure failure and allow it to automatically decide it will allow the engine to run to save the lives on board?
So the question with such systems will be how much autonomy will it be given?

I also think it is so US centric, that it will lead to bland and dull and worse, perhaps setting the de facto standard. Apologies you might read that in a way not intended. What I’m referring to is standardisation by internationalism, vis a viz McDonalds, Coke, Dominos. Tasteless, fast and utilitarian.

[GordMay]

“AI for Search and Rescue at sea” ~ Zelim
➥ https://www.zelim.com/ai-for-search-and-rescue-at-sea/

Zelim “ZOE”: AI enabled, intelligent detection, tracking, and alerting
“ZOE” delivers real time, intelligent, person in water (PIW), and object detection, alerting, and tracking, to enhance, both, search and sea surface monitoring operations.
➥ https://www.zelim.com/products/zoe-i...ent-detection/

Originally Posted by Zelim

“Finding people or objects in the water is a game of chance; currents, waves, sea-spray and ever-changing light create a chaotic environment that obscures and deceives. Providing consistent, accurate detection performance, day and night, ZOE changes the odds in your favour.

ZOE delivers real time intelligent person in water (PIW) and object detection, alerting and tracking to enhance both search and sea surface monitoring operations.

Developed in collaboration with the US Coast Guard ZOE improves the probability of detection, with an objectively measured detection performance of 96.8% accuracy for people in water from 337 metres. When optical zoom is applied the distance increases...”

How AI could speed up search and rescue missions at sea
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6414498

A company [Zelim], from the U.K. was in Dartmouth, N.S., on Wednesday, showing it’s new technology, that uses artificial intelligence, to speed up search and rescue operations, at sea.

[Snore]

Interesting topic!

FWIW, there has been AI in sailing for a few years now- weather routing, specifically PredictWind PRO version. Load the vessel's characteristics (polars or motoring), provide no-go zones, (such as the central Bahamas), enter maximum wind/wave you wish to experience and download. VOILA- the system generates a routing for you to review. Note, anything done by AI does not relieve the master of responsibility. (s)He must still look at the output and confirm that it is acceptable.

As of now, it is possible to port the PW routing to the onboard chartplotter to use directing the autopilot. I never did that, preferring to use conceptual routing and entering an AWA for the AP to hold. This gave me better VMG on long runs.

While some tech-geek type owner could probably write a routine, I see the automation of this process. A better AI interface would have the satellite interface always on, the weather server sends a text to tell the sat interface that new weather is available. This causes the interface wakes up the connected laptop, once awake and the appropriate program loaded, the vessel's current location, TWS/TWD are all uploaded to the server, and a new weather routing is downloaded. This SHOULD be reviewed by the master before a button is pressed and the routing sent to the chart plotter, or better yet the master review the routing and select an AWA.

Going forward, I see the automation of some of my planning spreadsheets. For example, I had 8-10 meals that were easy to cook, palatable to most and included some 'belly ballast' meals for rougher conditions. AI could easily ask "how many days voyage?". "how many days contingency?" and then randomly select meals, develop a daily menu, and develop a shopping list based on the pre-loaded recipes. Having an interface to a shopping program is not a far reach.

Of course the more that AI enters recreational boating, the less seatime will be needed to plan offshore escapades, this will result in people with poorer the seamanship venturing further offshore and getting themselves into situations they are not prepared for.