Do you use AI, and if so, what do you use it for?

[msc545]

I just had a long conversation with a patient who feels like using AI is a crutch. People shouldn't do it. Since he is considering attending college soon, even though he's quite a bit older, I directed him to OpenAI and talked him through how to use ChatGPT. By the time we were through, he was thrilled with it and called it a good learning tool. I feel the same. If it's used properly, it's a marvelous learning tool, and it's taught me a lot as well. What do you think about it?

[NathanDavis]

yes, sometimes...

when Google refuses to answer my question and wants to sell me shit instead

I do have to go to a different search engine, most of which are AI powered or assisted

oh well... I still go to the source in the information, though... rather than just take the AI's generated response

[msc545]

Google uses AI to answer questions, too. Just isn't nearly as good as ChatGPT.

[NathanDavis]

yes, they do... but it doesn't always work

other times... it will think I am joking and/or wants to start a conversation... lol

[msc545]

So why not use a real AI instead of using Google?

[NathanDavis]

there are smaller tools... that can do the work, without hosting the whole engine AI is... and the risk, as well

[msc545]

You'll never host the whole engine on your home computer anymore than I will, but you can use a better AI. There is no risk involved.

[NathanDavis]

they actually banned the newest model releases because of the high risk involved... lol

[msc545]

I Use ChatGPT 5.6, which is a very new model. It works just fine.

[msc545]

There's no risk involved to the individual user.

[NathanDavis]

I guess you don't fear injections... or leaks

[msc545]

No, I've noticed that my computer doesn't have a syringe or a needle attached, and it doesn't seem to be leaking anything.

[blackgaletiger]

I mostly use it for word editing and literature structure. When i try using it for project related content it becomes increasingly frustrating as it tends to make a lot of mistakes

[msc545]

This is because you've not trained it properly, and you need to be able to do the training and have it construct rules for its own function. This is the basis for good usage.

[blackgaletiger]

I do use ChatGPT for my work so im just basing my opinion on that. I have spent hours training it in different requirements that i need. Over time it has its limitations and some of my projects become inconsistent with every generation it produces. Its not that it hasn't been trained but its when ai starts jumping ahead of prompts and starts doing it own thing

[msc545]

It does that for me too, but I usually tell it to make whatever I've said a rule and then when I do that it pays attention to that a lot more often. But yeah you're right. Sometimes it jumps ahead and you have to correct it at that point.

[lilBigPotato]

Yes sometimes when you need to aggregate information it's much easier than doing all the research manually or to have certain things explained or to generate some documents it can be good too.

[jshm2]

AI is mostly bullshit - you are really just using a machine learning tool with a translator.

The reality is you use only a small part of the overall system and the money and resources are not really worth it.

If you go back to the first computer era, it was the same.

These things go in cycles.

[Sevenpointfive]

if it doesn't have the answer it will make it up. that's a very dangerous thing. you shouldn't trust it for anything serious at all. and if you do, then you check it yourself.

i use it for ideas. i'm actually checking to see if one works this week.

[MountainMetal]

there's an Asian market i go to a lot. When I dont know what something is usually I snap a photo and it translates it and tells me what it tastes like or used for

[AngryCarl3]

I use AI the same way I used to use Google search.

[goaded]

I shout "I want to talk to a person" at them occasionally.

Other than that, no.

[888theGreat]

I see ads but no I don't and I don't trust it

[MrChinaski]

Coding. And scoping projects. Mainly.

[MrChinaski]

On coding, it will do in 5 minutes what would take me a day to do with my pidgin skills.

On actual research, it is as useful as most college graduates after a year of work experience that I have worked with and far quicker, but has very limited ability to take scoping further... it struggles severely with problem definition, creative interpretation, decisions about what issues to pursue and what to drop, etc. Basically if something has been done before it can synthesise it elegantly; if you want to do something new then it doesn't understand what is and isn't valuable, tradeoffs between precision and doing something interesting, etc. I imagine left to its own devices nobody would want to read anything that it produces..

[rgb008]

Never.

[msc545]

Do you use a calculator when you're trying to balance a checkbook or do your taxes or anything like that? Do you just do all your figuring with pencil and paper instead?

[rgb008]

I am a math wizard

[msc545]

So you just calculating to in your mind