ChatGPT incoming

Interesting!

Will it supersede the forum? In future will we just refer to ChatGPT for the answer to all queries.

Hope not. With the dogs away on holidays it is lonely enough here as it is.

I refer to the ( mathematical ) modeller's maxim: Garbage In - Garbage Out, i.e. .it is only as good as the input information and its ability to filter fact from fiction. In the case of the response to which lathe there is no empirical information presented which would lead to the selection of one over the other. We already have politicians who can provide that sort of response.

Pero

The response doesn’t pass the Turing test as any real response on this forum would be avidly advocating either the Myford or the Seig leading to the usual arguments for a page or so and finally digressing into the metric/imperial mantra.

🥴

.

Thanks, David … I’m rather impressed !

MichaelG.

Pero wrote: Will it supersede the forum? - Hopefully not but what it might do is generate an abstract of a given thread on the forum. Summary of salient points etc.

It's an algorithm. That's all. It's just a tool.

It is not interpreting (in the thinking sense) what you ask (yet?).

The output can be completely off target. [Signal to Noise is widely variable?]

It is iterative and so one can spiral in on more focused responses. It does take correction.

Regards.

Frank C.

PS It is can generate reference lists.

e.g. This followed a "conversation" regarding boiler making

Q. some reference material

A. Here are some reference materials that may be helpful for learning more about steam boiler engineering and model steam boilers:

1. "Model Boilers & Boilermaking" by K.N. Harris: This book provides an overview of model steam boiler design and construction, including safety considerations and step-by-step instructions for building a simple vertical boiler.

2. "Building Simple Model Steam Engines" by Tubal Cain: This book provides an introduction to steam engine design and construction, including a chapter on building a simple model steam boiler.

3. "Model Steam Boilers" by Karl Noble Harris: This book provides detailed information on designing, building, and operating model steam boilers, including safety considerations, materials, and techniques.

4. "Model Engineer's Handbook" by Tubal Cain: This comprehensive reference book covers all aspects of model engineering, including steam boiler design and construction.

5. The Model Engineer's Workshop Manual" by George Thomas: This book provides practical guidance on model engineering techniques, including boiler design and construction.

6. The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors: The National Board is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and training for steam boiler engineers, including information on safety standards and code requirements.

7. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): The ASME is a professional organization that provides standards and guidelines for the design and construction of steam boilers and other mechanical equipment. Their website provides resources for engineers and hobbyists interested in steam boilers.

I have to say that I don’t like it, although fortunately I’m at an age where it is unlikely to have much effect on my life. Nevertheless, it seems to be straying into the realms of certain science fiction films, eg Logan’s Run and one other I have a vague memory of where computers did everything.

My experience so far of attempts to computerise everything are not particularly good. For example, problems caused by using American (where else?) designed software which does not cater for us in the UK and causes such problems such as having to enter dates in what to me is an alien way, eg “mmm dd yyyy”, rather than “dd mmm yyy”. I also have bad memories of attempting to use software which demanded that I give them a mobile phone number, and locked up when one was not forthcoming. Now I know that these are relatively minor in the great scheme of things, but I wonder just how good, and how accurate, all this ChatGPT is?

I also have in mind all those ideas of recent years that have caused problems, eg, the “smart” tv’s that listened to, and videoed what was going on even when supposedly switched off; laptops with built-in cameras leading to teenage girls covering up the camera port just to ensure that they were not being photographed. And as I write this, I am thinking of the device named Portal which was bought for us by our elder son. Very clever it is, good video, good sound, ability to contact people for free etc. But, and it’s a big but, the camera is always on, so if you happen to wander about in a state of undress, it can capture you, not a good idea in my opinion!

Then there is the computerisation of cars. Ok, it does allow the vehicle to work more reliably, more efficiently, more safely, all good things, but what next? Some twerp in a centrally heated building a few hundred miles away deciding unilaterally that the weather conditions are too bad to allow driving so prevents all vehicles from being started/used? Some of you may think I’m over-dramatising it, but the plain fact is that it has already been proposed that as from a specific date all vehicles would have to incorporate the ability for the vehicles speed to be controlled remotely. I have to say that I don’t know what the latest is on this subject, but I would not be at all surprised to find that plans are still being looked at.

I know that I am railing against the future here, and that it will come, but really, do we need this? Where’s the fun in asking a machine to do something for us, and I’m thinking of the recent case where a driver used AI to appeal against a fine, when we could do it ourselves and probably learn something as a by-product.

I would also like to state that I am not against computerisation per se, indeed producing this response shows that I can and do use IT. I also use, in a minor way to be true, other IT programs, and equipment, eg a camera which can do the thinking for me, but is still under my control. And that I think is what may be missing, an individual's control of the system.

Tootle pip,

Peter G. Shaw

Maybe!

There's a reasonable chance what they call in the trade a 'weak AI' could provide better answers to factual questions than most humans. What is the value of pi, e, time now, who wrote "Happy Birthday To You", how many pounds to the Euro, what's the maximum load I can lift with have a 12' long 2 by 4" beam. The forum is littered with wrong answers due to misunderstood questions, cultural & political bias, wishful thinking, outdated views, narrow perspectives, "common sense", bad memory, mis-speaking, ignorance and blunders. People may be sentient, but we're not particularly rational or disciplined, often behaving for emotional and egotistical reasons that have no place in problem solving.

ChatGPT is interesting because, in addition to pattern recognition and data analysis, it's gone a long way towards communicating in natural language. It, and other software, are now capable of answering questions like Bill Phinn's "In Flaubert's Madame Bovary Charles is largely to blame for Emma's death". Discuss. Refer closely to the text in your answer." well enough to fool a college lecturer! And a dumbo like me could impress Bill by answering in Flaubert's native language. All I have to do is ask the French ChatGPT to answer the question. There's an advantage: it removes any bias introduced into the English version by whoever translated the novel. ChatGPT has a significant advantage when it does "Refer closely to the text in your answer" because it can recall all of it, word for word. A human intelligence would be hard put to replicate that.

ChatGPT isn't the only player - I'm more worried about "Pink Slime" websites!

We live in interesting times.

Dave

ChatGPT seems like a potentially useful tool.

I looked in vain on Wikipedia for the Cheltenham classification for library books but ChatGPT came up with an informative. albeit bland, "lecturette".

I think you're right, Dave, though maybe that says more about the capabilities of some college lecturers than the capabilities of ChatGPT.

I would genuinely be interested in seeing an attempt by ChatGPT at this essay question. I think the answer could be superficially plausible, but, along with people like these, suspect that on closer analysis it would not pass muster.

Q: write a poem dedicated to https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/ forum

A:

In the world of model engineering, a forum stands tall,
A place where makers gather, to share and enthral,
Where precision and skill are celebrated with pride,
And creativity and ingenuity collide.

From miniature steam engines to model airplanes in flight,
The Model Engineer forum is a wondrous sight,
A community of enthusiasts, where knowledge is shared,
And novices and experts alike are welcomed and cared.

The threads are abuzz with chatter and conversation,
With tips and tricks shared, and inspiration a revelation,
A place where hobbyists and craftsmen can belong,
And where their passion for engineering can sing a song.

So here's to the Model Engineer forum, a place so grand,
Where the art of model engineering is held in high demand,
May the camaraderie and knowledge-sharing never end,
And may the forum continue to be a maker's friend.

Not bad

A poem from ChatGPT:

A model engineer, with steady hand, Crafts his machines from grains of sand, With precision, he turns each screw, And brings his dreams to life anew.

He measures twice and cuts with care, In his workshop, he's unaware Of the outside world, the noise and strife, For in his craft, he finds his life.

He shapes and bends, hammers and drills, Creating wonders with his skills, A locomotive, a steamship grand, A miniature world at his command.

His workbench is a place of pride, With tools laid out, clean and bright, He spends his days in joyful toil, Creating marvels of steel and oil.

And when at last his work is done, And his models gleam in the sun, He looks upon his handiwork, And feels a sense of peace and worth.

For in his craft, he's found his way, A refuge from the world's dismay, And though his models may be small, In his heart, they stand tall.

The thing is evidently sexist

… surely that will never do !!

MichaelG.

I am now retired, so I can't ask it to do my self-employed tax returns for me. I wonder how it would have fared? Imagine an artificial inteligence arguing with the taxman. Chills!

Sidethought. Most fans of Star Trek would love to have the character "Data" as a friend. Isn't he ChatGPT in physical form?

This can be really useful. I need only to make the AI to access calendar events and to send automatically to WhatsApp

Removed by V8.

Edited By V8Eng on 11/04/2023 23:33:44

ChatGPT is not only for writing learned articles for ME and MEW, it can also help with writing computer code. Prof Moriaty from the University of Nottingham was impressed by the Python code that it produced in response to one of his quantum world course questions…

Unfortunately, I cannot see a way to embed a YouTube link from my iPad, but the URL below should get you there.

Thank you, Michael!

Odd on it copied it from Git Hub.

FC

I think GPT4 is much better than chatGPT although I suspect chatGPT is a moving target - when I attempt to sing up for 4 and there are words that imply chatGPT may sometimes use 4 if resources are available.

I had developed the impression that Turing had actually proposed some sample questions for 'the turing test' but I can't find them. This paper is one of his seminal on the topic https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/activities/ieg/e-library/sources/t_article.pdf

In my experience, even chatGPT tend to 'smash' sample questions that were proposed before it's availability. e.g in my opinion it seems to answers these with at least equivalent intelligence as I see the average displayed on Facebook : https://daley-paley.medium.com/10-cunning-questions-i-would-ask-in-a-turing-test-21dfa6108646

Where it fails to convince me is it is too nice.

This seems a good a summary as any on main-stream media that is easily accessible and entertaining:**LINK**

This bloke gives a good job of summarising interesting parts of papers describing GPT4. For instance this one suggests GOT4 seems to show some features of AGI, theory of mind and other components of conciousness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqg3aTGNxZ0

or last minute of this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MGCQOAxgv4

I used ChatGPT a lot recently and conclude it is not a replacement for Google. It is currently a creative tool and great at making stuff up based on facts but not sticking to them. It can interlace convincing but bogus academic references with genuine references with no way to tell the difference without looking each up. A brilliant tool for the flat earth type extremeists to help them write convincing posts on Facebook.

So the creativity of it seems its current strength to me. Writing software is probably a perfect application for the technology... which is my area of employment but hopefully I'll be able to retire soon. The video from OpenAI of the announcement of 4 is mindblowing for people in software - exciting and scary: Mind blown shortly after 17:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outcGtbnMuQ