Growing ChatGPT use on the site.

[Iron E]

Regarding CF, I would be more concerned that its entire structure is based on a +10 old forum software (VBulletin Vers 3X) than I would be about AI-promoting anchors.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Iron E

Regarding CF, I would be more concerned that its entire structure is based on a +10 old forum software (VBulletin Vers 3X) than I would be about AI-promoting anchors.

Valid. Certainly to do anything about AI the software will need updating first.

[GordMay]

I’m not a chatbot – I promise!
“ChatGPT corrupted the whole process, simply by its existential presence, in the world.”
Conservation scientist, Lizzie Wolkovich, was shocked, when a reviewer casually accused her of fraud, suggesting she had used a chatbot, to write her paper, and was deliberately passing off the text as her own. She hadn’t — but her paper was rejected anyway.
More ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00349-5

[GordMay]

Meta says users must label AI-generated audio and video
Meta will apply labels to AI-generated images, posted to its Facebook, Instagram and Threads services, in an effort to signal, to users, that the images, which often resemble real photos, are actually digital creations.
More about ➥ https://www.reuters.com/technology/m...le-2024-02-06/

How AI-generated videos can be weaponized:
Can you spot the ‘deep fake’?
Video [7:08] ➥ http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2300457539568

[JPA Cate]

Please deluge us with reported suspected AI posts! Wottie is right that we need the help of your vigilance. We intend to delete such posts as and when found.

Originally Posted by Wotname

Again, please report any concerns by using the 'report post' function located near the bottom LHS of every post. ATM, while AI posts are not permitted, they do occur.

The moderators can't read every post every day, we rely on members reporting potential issues. We do look at every report though!

[Janet H]

Content that is wholly generated by ai is tough to spot and even tougher to verify BUT please report posts you see as problematic and we'll give it a whirl.

We've had the same issue with bot-generated spam for years and so while this is a little tougher, the underlying process is the same.

[anotherT34C]

LLMs have completely changed my workflow in the past year, and the pace of change is accelerating. I now use an LLM to write (virtually) all my code and device drivers. Also, I’ve spun up custom “GPTs” trained on very dense and technical hardware manuals. It also serves as “admin” for my servers, and is a very competent RedHat engineer, diagnosing problems, trolling log files, suggesting solutions (I won’t give it direct access).

I don’t know the implications for places like CF, but there will be some. These tools are powerful when used correctly.

I’ve even spun up a custom GPT trained on every manual and doc I have for my Baba40. Original B40 manual (with drawings… doesn’t matter, the LLM is multimodal and can interpret), beta50 manual, Selden mast, autohelm… it’s all in there. Hasn’t been useful yet, more of a fun exercise. It’s a strange new world.

[LakeSuperior]

I guess I don't care who answers the questions as long as the answers are clear, concise, and correct. I am betting that ChatGPT would be more efficient and less sarcastic overall.

So if the post content is good then does the source matter?

Perhaps in the future it won't be necessary to respond to CF posts unless feeling the urge to pontificate or to try and establish ones rank in the CF sailor hierarchy.

[GordMay]

“In late November, some ChatGPT users began to notice that ChatGPT-4 was becoming more "lazy," reportedly refusing to do some tasks or returning simplified results.
Since then, OpenAI has admitted that it's an issue, but the company isn't sure why.
The answer may be what some are calling "winter break hypothesis." While unproven, the fact that AI researchers are taking it seriously shows how weird the world of AI language models has become...”
More ➥ https://arstechnica.com/information-...s-to-find-out/

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

...So if the post content is good then does the source matter?

This is a good question. Put another way, will we some day not need forums like this, and all answers will come from AI?

It sure would make things easier. But I hope it doesn't come to that. There is value in collaborative discussion. Even argument. I'm not sure I want to live in a world where whatever AI says is taken as gospel. I've seen it confidently hallucinate utter nonsense, with perfect grammar.

Originally Posted by GordMay

In late November, some ChatGPT users began to notice that ChatGPT-4 was becoming more "lazy,"...

I love it! Here we were, afraid it would take over the world.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

This is a good question. Put another way, will we some day not need forums like this, and all answers will come from AI?

It sure would make things easier. But I hope it doesn't come to that. There is value in collaborative discussion. Even argument. I'm not sure I want to live in a world where whatever AI says is taken as gospel. I've seen it confidently hallucinate utter nonsense, with perfect grammar.

I love it! Here we were, afraid it would take over the world.

Your comments show that you don’t yet see where AI is headed. The goal, which we approach quickly, is that AI will participate in collaborative discussion, even argument. Also, you won’t even know if you’re dealing with a human or an AI

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Your comments show that you don’t yet see where AI is headed. The goal, which we approach quickly, is that AI will participate in collaborative discussion, even argument. Also, you won’t even know if you’re dealing with a human or an AI

It blows my mind that the (Fictional) movie Bladerunner nailed this similar dilemma in 1982 when they gave that test to AI beings.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Iron E

It blows my mind that the (Fictional) movie Bladerunner nailed this similar dilemma in 1982 when they gave that test to AI beings.

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Your comments show that you don’t yet see where AI is headed. The goal, which we approach quickly, is that AI will participate in collaborative discussion, even argument. Also, you won’t even know if you’re dealing with a human or an AI

"COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE” ~ by A. M. Turing [“Mind” 1950]
This paper doesn’t just introduce, what we now call the Turing test, a method for determining whether a machine can think; it’s also loaded with profound, witty arguments, about the nature of intelligence and mind, arguments even more relevant in the era of ChatGPT. Make sure you note Turing’s riff on extrasensory perception.
➥ https://redirect.cs.umbc.edu/courses...ers/turing.pdf

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by GordMay

"COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE” ~ by A. M. Turing [“Mind” 1950]
This paper doesn’t just introduce, what we now call the Turing test, a method for determining whether a machine can think; it’s also loaded with profound, witty arguments, about the nature of intelligence and mind, arguments even more relevant in the era of ChatGPT. Make sure you note Turing’s riff on extrasensory perception.
➥ https://redirect.cs.umbc.edu/courses...ers/turing.pdf

That's right.
It's like my friend told me once, "I knew about that before I eventually forgot about it"

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Your comments show that you don’t yet see where AI is headed. The goal, which we approach quickly, is that AI will participate in collaborative discussion, even argument. Also, you won’t even know if you’re dealing with a human or an AI

Obviously you know exactly what I can and can't see. Great.

But, my point wasn't that AI wouldn't some day be able to analyze forums like this and spam them with lots of posts which will be hard to distinguish from humans. I've even heard of the Turing test. Imagine that.

I thought my implication was clear that, to me, the value of a forum would be virtually nil if it became an echo chamber of AI bots talking to themselves.

Think back to before we had search engines. We had to seek out other humans, or go to the library, or order vendor manuals to learn how to do things. Forums made this much easier. Then came google, and there were fewer reasons to go to those other sources.

I imagine AI natural language bots will be the next step. They can tell us (and probably some day, show us with AI-generated video) much more. And we'll need forums (and all those other things) even less.

But will forums go away? I hope not. There are still some things I'd prefer to hear about from someone who has actually done them. And still enough things which don't have black-and-white answers, for which a good debate, full of human opinions, will still benefit all concerned.