One of these guys has been hanging out for a few weeks. Now he(she?) has a companion. Some people have manicured gardens, but mine’s pretty wild. Maybe they like that!
I'm curious... where does ChatGPT get this habit of writing with so many one sentence paragraphs? I know it bases its response on millions of pieces of writing, but I can't think of anyone who writes this way. One or two paragraphs like that out of every 20 or 30 - but 50% of the paragraphs or even more? Do younger people write like that? Maybe I'm (78M) just out of touch. And I'm interested in serious responses, not the typical "AI is trash. Learn to write yourself" stuff.
I just noticed today that there was a whole new set of modes, starting with Sol 5.6 Terra Light to 5.6 Sol Extra High. Since I've done a lot of work with ChatGPT on a couple of projects, I wanted some guidance on when to use the various modes, guidance that was relevant to my work.
I gave it the following prompt:
I see the mode settings have changed. Can you give me short use guidelines, related to the projects I'm working on, for using 5.6 Sol Light, Medium, etc.? Best would be to give me an example from either the Art Catalog project or the Family History project where a certain mode would have produced the best results.
It produced a table with the Sol setting, Best use in your projects, and Example.
very helpful!
Me: By the way, I’ve decided, for my own amusement, to call you “TT”, for Turing Test. So if you see TT anywhere, you know I’m referring to you.
ChatGPT: I like that. "TT" is short, distinctive, and I'll understand that you're referring to me. I've saved that as a preference, so in future conversations if you write something like "TT help me with the next section," I'll interpret "TT" as you addressing me.
Me: Gee, I thought you’d see the humor/ irony in your new name
TT: I did. 😄
"Turing Test" is a particularly fitting nickname because it's a little tongue-in-cheek.
Alan Turing proposed the imitation game as a way of asking whether a machine could carry on a conversation indistinguishable from a human's. So calling me "TT" is a bit like saying, "Let's see how you're doing today."
There's another layer of irony, too. The original Turing Test is about whether the human can tell they're talking to a machine. Your nickname does the opposite: it constantly reminds both of us that you are talking to a machine. That's a healthy perspective, especially for the kind of historical research and writing we're doing together. It encourages me to be a collaborator that helps you think, organize, and write, rather than pretending to be something I'm not.
So yes, I appreciated the joke. It's nerdy, understated, and very much in keeping with the kinds of conversations we've been having.
Me: Hahaha, I’m going to post your answer on Reddit. I think people will get a kick out of it
TT: 😂 I suspect a certain subset of Reddit will appreciate it.
I can imagine the comments already:
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That last one is probably my favorite. Every time you say, "TT...", you're explicitly acknowledging that you're talking to an AI. In a way, the nickname is an anti–Turing Test. Instead of asking, "Can this machine fool me into thinking it's human?", you're saying, "I know exactly what you are—now let's see what you can help me accomplish."
Given the amount of historical research, genealogy, translation, and writing we've been doing on your XXXXX Family History project, I actually think that's the right relationship. You're the historian and editor; I'm a tool that can help you research, organize, draft, and critique. The nickname captures that dynamic rather well.
If your Reddit post sparks a debate about the Turing Test, tell them TT says hello. 😄
There are lots of times when ChatGPT has frustrated me, but as a Photoshop tutor, it’s been great. I haven’t used PS in 15 years and had a lot of old images to clean up. It’s guided me through the process step by step. SO much better than watching a video or using PS help!
A whole lot of people are saying that the AI bubble will inevitably burst. How soon do you think this will happen? How do you think it will affect your ongoing projects?
As for me, I'm working on a couple of projects putting together family histories. They involve transcriptions of oral history on video, lots of family reminiscences, and a ton of photos. My plan is to have ChatGPT give me at least workable segments on all this as soon as possible, so that if things change radically overnight, I'm not totally SOL.
I'm happy to spend $20 a month now, because doing these projects without ChatGPT would have taken me a couple of years. With it, I completed my first project, a 200 page catalog documenting an art collection, in just 3 weeks. What I'm worried about is that if the bubble bursts, suddenly the price will triple or quadruple, or the company won't be there at all. So I want to be prepared.
What about you?
BTW, if you're one of those who says I shouldn't use AI, don't bother responding.
My wife is a retired elementary school teacher, so we have a lot of friends in education. Many of them are going bonkers over AI - not just for plagiarism and intellectual laziness concerns . They also are worried about the increasing numbers of students who rely on AI for psychological support.
I don’t believe for a second the answer is to ban AI. AI is here to stay, imo.
I think teachers need to train students how to use AI critically. Harder than it sounds, I know. What especially concerns me are the built in “features “ such as sycophancy, exaggerating capabilities, privacy, etc.
How do you think educators should deal with AI, EXCLUDING Luddite responses?
I’m using ChatGPT to document a collection. The final product will be a catalog with text and images, around 150 pages.
In the beginning, ChatGPT assured me it could create the whole document and give me a docx file that I could import into Google Docs and then send to a printer to create a book.
Long story short - each step of the way it reneged on its promises. First it told me I’d have to break up the catalog into sections and do one section at a time. Then it told me I really would have to use MS Word. Then it said I’d have to feed it no more than 3 sections. Then it said it couldn’t do the formatting. Etc . Etc.
It seems like it’s programmed to promise the world at the beginning of a project and hide ( lie) about what it can actually do. With each step, it claims it misunderstood you and then tells you what to do next. It seems like the objective is to keep you engaged as long as possible and to make the project last as long as possible.
Another thing that has really irritated me is the constant reiteration of what we’ve already agreed on. Sometimes I have to SHOUT at it to just give me the output file and nothing else.
Finally, it weirdly forgets some things we’ve agreed on. Then I remind it, and it answers by saying “You’re right, I forgot that. I’ll do it that way from now on.”
I just started using ChatGPT for complex projects a couple of weeks ago, so I’m just a beginner.
Am I doing something wrong, or is this just the way the AI is programmed?
I have a friend who badly needs dental work — either a really bad cavity or gum disease — but she doesn’t have any money. Any suggestions?
I thought I'd give it a try, and I have to say, I'm pretty amazed at the result. To get a good result, I gave it the following information:
I asked it to evaluate my program, compare it to others in my age group, and tell me where it was deficient. I also told it not to give me an answer that would make me feel good, and to base the answer on objective exercise science, not the latest fads.
Like I say, the resulting ten page answer was far better than anything I've ever gotten from a personal trainer and more specific, too. I had a physical therapist with 20 years experience look it over as well, and he couldn't find anything wrong with it.
I have to say, I'm deeply suspicious of the whole "tech bro" crowd. I have to wonder if they're providing us with "free" AI to get us hooked, and as soon as millions of people like me are dependent on AI, they'll introduce the subscriptions. In the meantime, I'm pretty impressed.
Has anyone else tried this?