Today reader Ian McKee, who signs in as 45Bravo tells us about his experiences with artificial intelligence.
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me at blogger@pyramydair.com.
Take it away, Ian
Artificial intelligence (AI) and airguns
by Ian McKee
I want to apologize for not being a regular contributor lately. I was still reading the blog daily, just working 10-14 hour days.
One day I want to retire from U-Haul, and spend my time shooting and writing about airguns.
Immediately after the 2022 Texas Airgun show, I was promoted to a new position where I repair/install security systems, access control systems, and computers for U-Haul in the North Houston area.
Being security related, there is little to no online training for this position, so it has taken many long hours over several months to learn the systems, and undo what the previous person that was in this position had installed, and repaired that was not up to code.
I have finally gotten to a point where I am no longer behind the curve, and can again do what I enjoy, writing and airguns. On to today’s topic.
SPOILER ALERT: It’s not ready for prime time. YET!
Lately there has been a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI). In its basic terms, it is using “smart computers” to analyze and predict patterns, then suggest to a person or a company what actions should be taken, or it can even autonomously implement measures to influence the outcome.
It has been used to analyze traffic flow, then control traffic lights to get the most time or fuel efficient traffic flow depending upon the traffic volume.
Machine learning models are used to predict flu outbreaks and when the flu season may start in different geographic areas.
Your bank uses machine learning algorithms to look for possible fraudulent transactions on your account.
If you use social media, algorithms prioritize your “feed” to present certain posts and videos, ads, or other content to elicit emotions, or even influence your purchasing decisions.
You can create instructional presentation videos by going to the Synthesia website and typing in your script, choose an AI generated presenter, and it will create a video of your subject matter.
There is an online AI presence called ChatGPT that users can sign up for and you can ask it anything, the program uses NLP (Natural Language Processing) and will give you a coherent computer generated response in just a few seconds.
I personally know of two people that have used the online AI engine CHATGPT to create resumes, both have gotten jobs in fields that they had previously applied for with their real resume, but were not selected for interviews.
One of my shooting buddies, who is a Federal Agent, asked CHATGPT to write a synopsis about what his particular position within the government entails. He says it was written and detailed well enough that he could use it as a training aid for future candidates.
I have seen news feeds where they have used AI to write scripts, and other content for both videos and web publication.
According to prognosticators over the last 40 plus years, since the inception of personal computers and the internet, the written word (newspapers and magazines and such) are going to go the way of the Dodo bird.
Since I want to write content as a source of income one day, I was worried about one day being replaced by an AI Bot.
So I thought I would see what all the hype was about, and give AI a task to write about something I am interested in, and that I have written about before. I asked CHATGPT to write a 500-word article about the Smith & Wesson 78G and 79G air pistol.
The BOT scoured the internet, and generated the article in about 45 seconds. The article read well, but used many superfluous words, and conveyed very few facts about the actual subject matter I had asked for.
Below is an excerpt of the article that was generated by the AI engine.
_____________________________
Design and Construction
The Smith & Wesson 78G air pistol features a robust and durable construction, highlighting the manufacturer’s commitment to quality. The pistol’s frame is made from sturdy metal, ensuring longevity and resistance to wear and tear. The grip is ergonomically designed for optimal comfort and control, allowing for a firm and steady hold during shooting.
One of the distinctive features of the 78G is its single-stroke pneumatic mechanism. Unlike CO2-powered air pistols, which rely on cartridges, the 78G employs a lever that compresses air with a single stroke. This design not only eliminates the need for CO2 cartridges but also provides consistent power and accuracy, making it a favorite among shooting enthusiasts.
Performance and Accuracy
The Smith & Wesson 78G air pistol delivers impressive performance and accuracy, contributing to its enduring popularity. The single-stroke pneumatic mechanism generates consistent power, resulting in precise and repeatable shots. The adjustable rear sight and front sight enhance aiming capabilities, allowing shooters to fine-tune their aim for various shooting distances.
With a rifled steel barrel, the 78G ensures exceptional accuracy and stability for each shot. The pistol’s smooth trigger pull further enhances the shooting experience, offering a crisp and responsive feel. The combination of these features enables shooters to achieve tight groupings and excellent target control.
____________
Editor’s note: The Smith & Wesson 78G air pistol is a single shot CO2-powered pistol, despite what you just read.
As we can see, when it comes to some specialized topics, Artificial Intelligence isn’t too intelligent.
I have tried similar questions with the Crosman Mark I and Mark II series of pistols, and have gotten similar results.
That being said, in the last few days it has started to learn! I have tried several variations of the same question, and it suddenly popped up that the pistol is CO2 powered, and every response after that included the correct power plant information.
I am guessing that by asking the same general question over and over it had to search farther and farther into the corners of the internet to generate an answer that was different from the one I had asked 10 minutes before.
I also asked it to write a short article titled, “How AI can benefit airgun enthusiast in 2023”
The response is full of nice sounding words that doesn’t say much about airguns, and the technologies it referenced are not available in the airgun world as of 2023, maybe by 2123 they will be.
The text of that article is below:
________________
Title: Revolutionizing the Airgun Hobby: The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in 2023
Introduction: In the fast-paced world of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has made its mark across various domains. As we venture into 2023, the airgun hobby is witnessing a significant transformation, thanks to the integration of AI. This cutting-edge technology is poised to revolutionize the way enthusiasts engage with airguns, providing a host of benefits and enhancing the overall experience.
Improved Accuracy: One of the primary advantages AI brings to the airgun hobby is improved accuracy. AI algorithms can analyze factors such as wind speed, distance, and trajectory, enabling shooters to make precise adjustments for a more accurate shot. With AI-powered target tracking systems, shooters can receive real-time feedback and instant analysis of their performance, facilitating rapid improvement in marksmanship skills.
Customized Training and Assistance: AI-powered platforms can offer customized training and assistance to airgun hobbyists. Through machine learning algorithms, these platforms can analyze individual shooting patterns, identify areas for improvement, and provide tailored training plans. Furthermore, AI can simulate real-life shooting scenarios, allowing enthusiasts to practice in virtual environments and gain invaluable experience without exhausting resources or risking injury.
Advanced Optics and Scopes: AI-integrated optics and scopes have become a game-changer for airgun enthusiasts. These intelligent devices can automatically adjust for external factors, such as lighting conditions and distance, to optimize target visibility. AI algorithms can also provide real-time data overlays, including range, wind speed, and bullet trajectory, aiding shooters in making precise adjustments on the fly.
Enhanced Safety Measures: AI has also contributed to enhanced safety measures within the airgun hobby. Intelligent systems can detect human presence or unauthorized targets in shooting areas, preventing accidents and minimizing the risk of unintended harm. AI-powered safety features can include automatic disarming mechanisms, facial recognition for secure access control, and even real-time monitoring of shooters’ physical well-being.
Conclusion: As we embrace the year 2023, artificial intelligence continues to reshape the airgun hobby, delivering unparalleled benefits to enthusiasts. Improved accuracy, customized training, advanced optics, and enhanced safety measures are just a few examples of how AI has transformed the airgun experience. Embracing this cutting-edge technology allows enthusiasts to reach new heights in marksmanship, enabling them to explore their passion with precision, safety, and enjoyment like never before.
__________
So, as a content creator, do I need to worry about my future as a writer? Not at the moment. As long as I can create content about airguns that I have in hand, or airguns that have not had much written about them, I’m safe from an AI threat. If I write about an antique airgun and I am the one creating content from my personal experience with repair, or writing about a detailed topic that the Bot has no printed source to draw from, AI draws a blank.
But as more and more WRITTEN information is put out on the web, the larger the database is for the AI engine to draw from, and as of this writing, I don’t think AI has made the full jump from searching for spoken content in videos, then translating it to coherent written content, but if it hasn’t been done yet, it soon may be.
You can take spoken content and make written text, your smart phone does it all the time when you ask SIRI or Alexa to call or text someone, but it has not yet been done enmasse for the billions of videos currently out in cyberspace.
I am interested in hearing what you the readers think about Artificial Intelligence in general, and if and or how it can help the airgun world in the future.
Shoot safe, and have FUN!
Ian
BB’s comments
In my opinion Ian has no reason to feel threatened by AI. I say this because AI is:
1. Artificial, and
2. Not intelligent.
What Ian has described relies on data that’s published on the Internet. Not only is what’s posted there full of errors, the errors increase, minute by minute. It’s similar to the game in which a secret is whispered to a line of people and the facts change each time the data is transferred from one person to another. Let me give you an example.
A large pocket watch was recently advertised on eBay as having a case that was gold plated. The picture that accompanied the watch showed this:
The hallmark on a Deuber 14 Karat solid gold pocket watch case.
This is what the seller said about that watch case:
THIS IS A BIG IMPRESSIVE WATCH IN A FANTASTIC “CIRCUS TENT” STYLE CASE! THE WATCH IS BIG (55mm DIAMETER, 130.7 grams), THAT IS SIGNED “DUEBER CHAMPION 14K” AND IS 14-KARAT GOLD FILLED. THE “CHAMPION 14k” SIGNED CASES HAVE SOME OF THE THICKEST LAYERS OF GOLD OVER BRASS OF ANY OF THE EARLY GOLD FILLED CASES. THIS ONE IS AWESOME!
Why did the seller say that the case is gold filled if the hallmark clearly shows the case to be 14-Karat solid gold? He did so because on one of the watch chat forums there is a confusing chat about Deuber cases. It says that some of them that are marked 14K are really gold filled.
Well, that’s interesting! Apparently we can accept the word of a chat forum over the internationally recognized and universally applied legal hallmark for 14 Karat solid gold!
As the direct result of this faux pas this watch sold for less than one-third of its actual value when the hammer dropped.
As for the two people who had the AI program rewrite their resumes, the assumption is their writing was good. I have examined a great many resumes submitted for jobs and what I saw was that only about 30 percent or so were adequate. The worst was one in which the applicant told me he was a “stickler for detale.”
Artificial Intelligence is the modern equivalent of the philosopher’s stone that turned base metal into gold when touched, or the myth of perpetual motion. Those will never exist and neither will AI.
Interesting………
My niece wrote her Christmas Card using ChatBot with only 5 or 6 prompts.
A woman in my building who works for the biggest computer company uses AI for all her e-mails.
She does however ask for attribution and eliminates all of those that she has never heard of.
As B.B. stated, it combs through information(both correct and false) and recreates reality using that information. Isn’t social media bad enough at spreading misinformation?
Do we really need to open THAT Pandora’s Box? If we relay on artificial intelligence will human intelligence diminish. A muscle not used is a muscle that atrophies.
May I suggest that everybody watch/rewatch 2001, a Space Odyssey.
First the Darkside and now this….
-Yogi
PS That new trick FX crony, the one that can tell you your pellets BC during it’s entire flight. The one that also tells you where your absolute zero is. The one that costs a grand, yes that one. Does that use AI?
PPS For security, may I suggest a descent dog and an armed human being?
Watch 2001 again? I’m sorry Yogi, I’m afraid FM can’t do that.
B.B.,
Timely.
Great guest blog Ian.
I thought i was reading some of the writings of actual human Beltway Bandits that i had the pleasure of firing!
Lazy people will blow smoke with AI just as they did with poorly researched work or worse still Plagiarized material.
Isn’t that what AI actually is? Simply automated plagiarism; just as despicable in my book!
shootski
Shootski
“Isn’t that what AI actually is? Simply automated plagiarism;”
Love it! All I need to know about explaining to anyone what is artificial intelligence.
Deck
Ian,
Thank you fir this insightful glimpse of AI which I have absolutely no idea about. From the way you describe it I’m beginning to believe that is what Marketing uses to convince the company what kind of product will sell. I sure hope the system improves sooner than later.
Siraniko
I think you hit that nail on the head.
Ian
Wasn’t the Rogue an AI project? And those sighting around the corner systems? I’m afraid that AI will be into airguns sooner or later.
Until then I will follow Ian’s suggestions about shooting safe and mostly HAVE FUN. Now, let’s see how .22 slugs behave from the HW 45!!!
Personally, I think Yogi is an AI that is programmed to write controversial and slightly adversarial comments in order to generate more comments to this blog…and it is working well. ;o)
For that matter, Shootski might be an AI too. No human exercises that much.
Perhaps I am an AI as well. How do I know? Because I am neither artificial nor intelligent!
Ian, nice work! Very interesting and entertaining.
Thank you,
Ian,
I must agree with RG that this article is very interesting and entertaining.
I am not afraid of AI in and of itself. As has been pointed out above, it is not really intelligent. What is truly scary to me is the human beings controlling and/or using it.
I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea what the AI meant in its blurb concerning the benefits it can produce in the world of airgun shooting. As has been pointed out, garbage in, garbage out. Maybe it is more human than I thought. Hmmm.
That 78g piece sounded just like a magazine review or manufacturers sales blurb. Full of vague, meaningless statements with very few facts (and even those were wrong!).
The age of properly researched, balanced, factual information is pretty much over I’d say.
Long may this blog continue as we know for certain that it’s written by and contributed to by real life humans!
That’s exactly what it sounds like
A lot of pretty buzz words and nothing that says anything.
Don’t they call that a “word salad?”
Ian.
Wonder what would happen if one were to ask ChatGpt whether Basil Fawlty is an authority on the preparation and consumption of Waldorf Salad?
45Bravo:
As a retired alcohol/drug counselor and social worker, who has listened to a lot of word salads over the years, I must say that the AI generated pieces were NOT word salad. Word salads are usually, among the clients I’ve dealt with, chaotic and even ludicrous. Logic goes the way of the “bull goose looney” as Jack Nickolson once quipped in “One Flew Over The Coocoos Nest.”
There is more logic and consistency here, but it’s like a student plagiarizing materials for a term paper that are WELL BEYOND his/her grasp and makes asinine commentary and foolish conclusions because he/she doesn’t understand the root material.
To me, the examples were reminiscent of a string of manufacturer advertisements assembled into a thing that “looks like” a serious piece but is really has the depth of a single sheet of typing paper, if that. Kind of like the many automobile salesmen I have encountered in my years who were selling features they absolutely didn’t know anything about.
The best example was a long known salesman, who is, contrary to what I’m about to write, highly successful as a local salesperson. When there were two nearly identical VWs on a lot, I asked him why one got better MPG than the other, and he said, “Well, the one has low friction bearings!” I asked him why, then, VW put high friction bearings on the other one? He was gob smacked by that question because he knew I caught him bullshitting his way instead of admitting he didn’t know.
AI might eventually get some degree of insight and competence, but in the current examples, the clear hollowness is present. The Star Trek Enterprise computer it isn’t!
BB
You could even ask ChatBot to write a blog report on the best airgun to shoot while riding the Harley at 70 miles per hour on the interstate. Stuff out there may be available for that report. After church my wife’s smart phone announces we are 8 minutes from a restaurant we haven’t been to in years.
Deck
Ian’s report echoes what I’ve heard others say about AI. It’s a matter of asking repetitive questions to get a specific answer. So, as the old curmudgeon that I am, I ask “Who’s really doing the learning here”?
Ian could have written that piece about his 78G by heart without having to scour the internet. The only advantage AI has is in the speed of typing.
Thank you Ian for today’s guest blog and I bet U-Haul is pleased to have you improving their security systems. Knock it out of the park, big guy. Your discussion of bots and the material they produce had me almost laughing if there wasn’t for the creep factor attached to the whole idea.
Last winter I posted on a remote control hobby bulletin board service, that I blew out a battery charger and wanted to fix it. I’ll spare you the details and proceed. I got an answer last week that was pretty words with no useful content. I thought about what that person had written and I wrote back to say that I think that person who answered was a bot. This is what I wrote in reply:
(bot’s online name), In today’s age of chat bots, I have wondered over the course of a day if you are actually a bot. Please don’t be offended, but your answer was so general and, because of the content, it seemed more than likely to have been put together by a non-human. I also checked into the public profile of (bot’s online name) and found only eighty-some replies, with no original posts. Though it’s still possible that you’re not a bot, I’m about 75% sure that you are, based on form and content, with the profile running last. Please don’t think this an attack if you are a real person, it’s nice that you gave a well-meant, well-structured, fluff reply. I might be a little mad if someone called my work that of a bot, but please don’t be. It’s just that the bots are out and proliferating throughout the net. Cheers though and thank you if you’re not a bot!
Will S., seeker of useful information
The person or bot have since removed their content from the thread. Bots. Bah humbug!
Kill them with kindness. What an eloquent and well-written response to the bot. It probably didn’t have a response to that programmed into it’s algorithm.
That’s weird they removed the post.
The chat bots seem to be very politically correct.
They want to please everyone..
But you can’t please everyone.
Someone is going to get offended.
Or as Anheuser-Busch found out, both sides get offended when you try that…
Ian..
Ian,
Congratulations on your informative and well-written piece.
The benefits and detriments of AI are enumerable (innumerable?). I already see many of our fellow readers have begun to discuss some of these issues, and they will probably outweigh the discussion of benefits. I suspect part of that is because the benefits of AI are difficult to notice, while its failures are, to allude to Raymond Chandler, “about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food cake.”
But I would like to point out one of the most dangerous, I think, abilities of AI, which you mention: “If you use social media, algorithms prioritize your “feed” to present certain posts and videos, ads, or other content to elicit emotions, or even influence your purchasing decisions.” This is not a benefit. It is a curse that has already begun to deteriorate the ability of human minds to thnk critically.
On a nuisance level, my home page has on multiple occasions (requiring me each time to figure how to turn off the guilty “feature”) decided all I wish to read is content about guitars, electric guitar players, heavy metal and the British Blues Invasion of the 1960s and early 1970s. Don’t get me wrong. I like Mick Taylor, Peter Green and Rory Gallagher as much as the next guy, but that is not what I read the web for. I wish to read about an endless variety of subjects, and the less I have read about them in the past, very often the MORE I wish to find articles on them. If I have an urge to read about Alvin Lee, I will find the articles myself.
Of much more significance than my petty annoyances (of which I have long had many even before AI) is that AI is quickly reducing everyone’s exposure to different subjects, impressions, perspectives, and beliefs down to what they already know, experience regularly, and currently believe. AI isn’t a replacement for the newspaper — it is the anti-newspaper, severely limiting the amount, depth and breadth of information people are exposed to. This results in people living in their own little “bubbles” of thought. Their brains are filled with certain stuff, but then, instead of different stuff entering their brains to challenge it, their brains are stuffed with more of the same old stuff, reinforcing everything they have in their brains already. What is lost is the ability to think critically.
AI is indeed dangerous, but perhaps not in the overt form of a violently beserk HAL 9000. (And HAL stood for “Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Computer,” heuristic being a fancy academic term for learning — a precise description of AI.) Articifical Intelligence is not dangerous only in the way it can change and/or become autonomous, but also in the way it is changing us, and the way we think. AI becomes increasingly “intelligent” while it simultaneously decreases human intelligence.
Michael
Michael,
Well said. Well written. Now that AI is like a genie out of the bottle, we’re not sure of the total impact but it’s likely now that AI has been unleashed that the affect won’t be entirely butterfly’s and rainbows. Google’s “DeepMind” is now teaching itself. HAL 9000 realized.
Having worked in high-tech my whole career I’m both fascinated and concerned about what technology has done for us and to us.
Technology benefits us by making everything easier but it’s also a curse in that people will always take the easy way and basic skills have been lost. We have become totally reliant on electricity and technology – take it away and “civilized” people would literally not survive. They don’t know how… can you live off the land?
Like Ian’s examples, many of the articles we read, the videos we watch are AI generated and are fakes. AI is artificial but it’s output is presented/accepted as being “real”. At best, the content could be considered to be fictional entertainment, at worst it could be fatality misleading. Think that trusting AI would be like getting life lessons advice from a TV sitcom.
The big hoopla these days is how much AI is acceptable. The AI program that sets up the perfect exposure on your camera is benign but would you trust AI to drive your car in rush hour traffic?
There are (rightfully) major copyright and plagiarism concerns from artists and writers over their work being stolen and their livelihood being threatened.
Google “AI art” and prepare to be impressed. With an app, someone who can’t draw a stick-man to save their life can type in a description of a subject and have the program search the world and create an incredible image. Guess that the questions are: Is this “art”? Is this plagiarized image legal?
Being retired I could say: not my problem, that’s progress – get a real job. But I feel that AI is going to be everybody’s concern before too long.
Anyway, they are trying to figure out how to manage AI but I think it’s too late, AI is already here. Kinda scary.
Anyone remember the 1970 Sci-fi/Disaster movie called The Forbin Project? The US and USSR defense computers become selfaware, collaborate and take over the world to protect people from themselves. The movie ends with a computer synthesized voice saying: “This is the voice of world control”.
…maybe that’s not such a bad thing considering how poorly humans are handling things these days. Things to ponder.
Have a good day anyway. 🙂
Hank
Hank
I have also been involved in Technology since the early 80’s. The usual problem is that each wave comes with doomsday and associated hype around the demise of human kind. I think the real problem with generative AI is the speed at which software publishers are adding generative AI capacity to traditional software. Technology always leads and the legal follows. Problem with Generative AI is that the knowledge pool is both deep and potentially corrupt since it’s the entire WWW that is used as the knowledge base, bias and all.
Best, Handle with Care
Kind Regards
JDA001
jda001,
“…potentially corrupt…” Don’t you believe it is intentionally corrupt in the larger sense?
The truth seldom if ever grows out of consensus of any type. The seeds of AI’s eventual failure were planted in its artifice:
ar·ti·fice
/ˈärdəfəs/
noun
clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others.
“AI is not free from the artifices of the period.”
…the wisdom of the times we live in according to shootski
Shootski
Interesting theory but I’m not that cynical. This technology does have the capacity for good and in of itself is not good or bad. Just it’s application.
Deeper question, by definition is not all learning plagiarism. The application of the learning is what is important.
ChatGP4 has the ability to free people from the so called experts and allow individual to get a fairly decent baseline of knowledge. Just need a human to provide the filter and do their homework 🙂
jda001,
Not a Luddite dream in my body of not using technology; just a caution on the motivations of the Tech Giants.
As to all learning being a form of plagiarism i object. Tho’ rare, Original Thought and Discovery does occur.
It is the potential for the individual to lose their humanity that is of greatest concern to me. The danger in AI in my opinion is the loss of Empathy through tactical manipulation of folks.
shootski
Shootski
On the misuse and manipulation, we are in 100% agreement. I too am worried about the ethics.
Kind Regards
JDA001
I am one of those that can’t draw a straight line by hand with 2 rulers.
But do well on computer graphics, enough to support my family over the years.
I tried the google art site just now, I asked it to render a Smith & Wesson 78G air pistol on a table.
This is what I got….
Too funny….
Seems to ole old-school grumpy FM AI is, like everything else we flawed humans come up with, a two-edged sword. When used to enhance and improve technical processes, say programming robots to build better things – good. When used to replace critical/rational thinking – not good. Ditto when it is misused to mask the lack of skills on the part of a job seeker – example, someone who writes poorly and is spelling/grammar-challenged but still applies for say, a technical writing job…and fools someone in HR into hiring him or her. Fun fact: some HR “experts” are not rocket scientists. Both Mr. and Mrs. FM have run into them. As the late President Reagan said – “trust, but verify.” Which brings up another danger of AI – related to the earlier ones discussed above – people getting lazy about doing their due diligence and research “because ChatGpt told me what I needed to know.” Yeah, right.
Maybe one of these AI bots should be asked to explain why the whole concept and its execution is good for humanity. The jury may still be out on that.
Yes, “trust but verify”!
Best to determine the writers/creators agenda before giving a value to the content.
Vana2,
I don’t know if you are acquainted with Mortimer J. Adler’s, How to Read a Book, but that is exactly what every book/article/white paper/blog reading needs to begin with.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book
One of the key things he covers is: “The idea that communication directly from those who first discovered an idea is the best way of gaining understanding is Adler’s argument for reading the Great Books; that any book that does not represent original communication is inferior, as a source, to the original, and that any teacher, save those who discovered the subject he or she teaches, is inferior to the Great Books as a source of comprehension.”
I agree with that conception Hank. I think it is key to why AI will ultimately fail and be replaced FINALLY by Enhanced Humanoid Intelligence: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_amplification
But for Tech Tycoons there is little monetization in it!
shootski
Ian,
This was a most interesting report; thank you!
At the moment, I am leaning with RidgeRunner.
I’m not afraid of AI, but I am concerned with the people who control it and promote it as being so great.
As you have so clearly demonstrated here, it “has issues.” 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
Great article, and hear hear on the questionable intelligence of current AI! We still need a lot of work on plain old natural intelligence.
A class I teach has an assignment to write a mock NSF predoctoral research proposal: very dense and technical but only two pages (maybe 1200 words). This past semester we tried using ChatGPT to write such a thing and it failed miserably, just like above, with vague or incorrect statements and no clever or original ideas. I told the students they were welcome to use it to make a draft, but that the result would need a lot of improvements to pass.
But for what could AI be used in airgunning? (“Why, for what,…”)
AI Optics – a self-ranging and targeting scope: input the pellet and the optic keeps the crosshairs or dot on what it thinks is the target, calculating drop and drift, thus doing away with turret adjustments, mil-dots or Kentucky windage. This will show up in the Ukraine before we see it in airgunning.
AI Advertisements – Pyramyd will send you an ad for your perfect airgun, based on your Blog reads and site usage. I’m surprised we don’t get that already, but thank you, Pyramyd! I prefer the excitement of the hunt.
AI Hunting App – Combining maps, weather, Dept. Fish and Game data, the location of other hunters, and your bag limit, the app predicts where the desired prey will be on a particuar day and time. Quickly the squirrels will get wise, rodents will still outbreed the app and the corvids will use it to their advantage, so it will only work 10% of the time, giving some sport.
AI Target/pellet traps – we can’t keep blasting pests forever, at some point vermin will be the only animals left on the planet and we’ll want to protect them. Buy then, there will be AI robot rats or whatever that scurry just enough to give a challenge, roomba-up the missed pellets and then deposit them re-swaged neatly into their tins. That would be nice.
Mike
B.B., 45Bravo, and Readership,
Do Electric sheep have dreams?
I have looked to the wisdom of David and his 23rd Psalm as well as his sling skills often.
I have walked in the Valley of the Shadow of Death more times than i care to remember but each time i felt no EVIL for GOD was with me. I do not fear AI because it is not a LIFE FORM and never will be aware of the GLORY of the one GOD.
Believers take heart unbelievers reconsider your doubt or rejection. I know with his guidance i have survived much before. This believer, for one, will not be enslaved by AI.
I FEAR NOT!
shootski
https://www.magiscenter.com/blog/the-reason-why-ai-will-never-be-just-like-us
Amen.
Shootski, you have mentioned or mis-mentioned the title of one of my favorite sci-fi short stories by Philip K. Dick. That is, “Do Androids dream of electric sheep”. It was made into a movie with Harrison Ford. It’s Blade Runner and also one of my favorites and also a favorite cult movie.
As to artificial intelligence, it seems to have met it’s equal of genuine ignorance – mostly found inside our Beltway in Washington, DC. That’s why I’m not concerned about it taking over the world.
A very good read, 45 Bravo. Enjoyed it!
Fred formerly of the Demokratik Peeples Republik of NJ now happily in raccoon infested GA
Fred DPRoNJ,
It was done with comedic aforethought.
I read Dick while in High School and when i saw Blade Runner in 1982 i laughed over all the debate on Deckard’s status…and still get to laugh after the remake.
shootski
I can just imagine AI searching AI written articles based on AI written articles. From your article today it doesn’t sound like AI has a way to differentiate between good and bad information. Maybe an older AI will be more discerning than a young AI whippersnapper.
David Enoch
David
For an AI to be effective, it needs to be trained.That’s why Open AI and other Generative AI technologies offered free versions to try. This way, the collective user base would offer feedback on the results and the AI gets smarter as searches are run.
Kind Regards
JDA001
Talk about food for thought!
Love stuff like this. AI articles are easy to pick out in on-line news. They beat around the bush with unwanted information and hardly ever get to the point. More often than not it ends in a ‘Recommended’ product or service. News page is mostly frivolous entertaining information void of any serious content.
AI should stay in advanced technology systems solving problems or performing operations too complicated for humans to manage, like troubleshooting and repairing aircraft electronics for example.
With the introduction of “And / Or – Gates” in wiring diagrams troubleshooting never ends, and experience and computer self-analysis feedback becomes extremely valuable. New aircraft can’t fly without computers assisting and sometimes overriding the pilot.
‘A’ lmost ‘I’ ntelegance must rely on facts alone. And that needs to be programed in.
AI has taken a left turn into a world of unwanted / misinformation and in the hands of dumbed down unethical people will wreak havoc on society.
I get sick and tired of adds for gold/silver rare coins, Mustangs, fast cars and guns on my ‘News?’ home page. Actually, started shopping for sexy undergarments from the likes of Fredericks of Hollywood to decorate my home page with adds in the future. 😉 Make it work for you sort of speaking.
As for PyramydAir … It’s not working people. I don’t need an email page full of airguns on sale that I already own. Especially when I just visit the site for documented information. Not sales information. Your system needs tweaking. The ‘fact’ that I already purchased them is missing from your input.
I think AI will just make life more confusing being used in misplaced situations with unreliable information.
Airguns? No. Optics, probable, but far from affordable.
Bob M,
This is for you: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_amplification
It is an area I have worked in since my tour at Naval Electronics Systems Command and the birth of the Internet out of an ARPA Scientist Play Toy.
shootski
Shootski,
Thanks for the link, very interesting.
IA, new term for me but evidently, I have been using it for a long time. AI, remains to be seen.
Between global climate change and AI the human race may be at a turning point. One way or another.
The Source of All Intelligence needs to take over the wheel of Earth Bus before we drive it off the Cosmic Cliff into oblivion.
Interesting report. Thanks for writing it.
One of the things that I worry about with AI is that when it trains off the content of the internet, it is using data that is mostly bad to begin with. The amount of what I can only call “well meaning speculative garbage” is everywhere, even in our own area of airguns.
For example, one area in this hobby where the majority of what I read on the popular blogs is just wrong is that of water vapor / moisture in compressed air – even if posted with good intent. People post stuff that they think is correct, I guess based on extrapolation of personal experiences I guess with the weather. But a lot of it is just dangerously wrong.
If AI is learning off that stuff, the results could be very dangerous . . .
AlanMcD