An AI answers forum questions! [and creates paintings of the Hive mind]

[TechWife]

6 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

There's a weird sense in which even the prose produced falls into uncanny valley territory for me.

I think it's to do with lack of idiosyncratic voice.

That does make sense. Some of it feels like a non fiction early reader to me - sort of like an Usborne or DK book. It’s like I get the sense there is so much more to say about the topic at hand. Of course, I feel this way about a lot of stuff I read - perhaps it’s just my natural curiosity or my bias regarding its known limitations. 

[Melissa Louise]

Just now, TechWife said:

That does make sense. Some of it feels like a non fiction early reader to me - sort of like an Usborne or DK book. It’s like I get the sense there is so much more to say about the topic at hand. Of course, I feel this way about a lot of stuff I read - perhaps it’s just my natural curiosity or my bias regarding its known limitations. 

I feel like, at the moment, it circumambulates the surface of the topic. There's nothing wrong with the prose. But there's nothing right about it either.

I feel the same way about AI produced art (and can often, but not always, pick the AI art work from the human) - there's a lack, a vacancy at the centre of the work, and voice is the only way I can conceptualize what's lacking.

[mathnerd]

ask it to write a topic that you want in a foreign language of your choice (even classical latin). my son says that it does a pretty good job!

[regentrude]

OMG, now I fell into this rabbit hole and am talking to the bot.
She's at least as good as any advice columnist in the women's magazines they have at the doctor's office or the hairdresser.
I bet she can crank out the self-help books just fine.

 

Quote

write in the style of an agony aunt advice for a woman dealing with midlife crisis

 

 

Dear Friend,

It sounds like you're going through a difficult time right now as you navigate the challenges of a midlife crisis. These types of transitions can be tough, and it's completely normal to feel a sense of uncertainty or unease as you contemplate the changes and challenges that come with this stage of life.

One thing to remember is that a midlife crisis is a normal and natural part of the aging process. It's an opportunity to take stock of your life, reassess your priorities, and make any necessary changes to ensure that you're living the life you want. It can be a time of great personal growth and transformation, so try to see it as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

It might be helpful to talk to a therapist or a trusted friend or family member about your feelings. It can be therapeutic to process your thoughts and emotions with someone who is supportive and nonjudgmental. It might also be helpful to try to find new hobbies or activities that bring you joy and help you feel more fulfilled.

Remember that it's okay to take some time to figure out what you want and what makes you happy. Trust yourself and your decisions, and try to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate this challenging but ultimately rewarding phase of life.

Best regards, [Agony Aunt]

 

 

Try again

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by regentrude

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, TechWife said:

It is not creating anything from scratch, much less high school level work in English or any other subject. The fact that it doesn’t understand IS the problem. It is crunching data. That’s it. It is following a program, created by people.  It is mimicking the data it is given. That’s it.

but that is what most human students do as well: pattern matching, five-paragraph formula, mimicking examples.
In contrast to high schoolers, the bot follows the rules of language mechanics.

[regentrude]

26 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

ask it to write a topic that you want in a foreign language of your choice (even classical latin). my son says that it does a pretty good job!

I asked it to write to me in German about the neighborhood in the German city where I grew up. Aside from one small factual mistake, the writing is indistinguishable from what you would find on a website or brochure of a tourist bureau or city organization.

ETA; I had it repeat the exercise in the style of a romantic poet and it wrote a bad poem. 
I then had it write from the point of view of somebody who hates the neighborhood, and it came up with some interesting criticisms of the area I love so much... but it isn't wrong

Edited December 16, 2022 by regentrude

[TechWife]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

but that is what most human students do as well: pattern matching, five-paragraph formula, mimicking examples.
In contrast to high schoolers, the bot follows the rules of language mechanics.

It is mimicking data and format. We all use stock formats in a variety of ways. It is not able to synthesize information, communicate that synthesis or draw unique conclusions. We can. It is doing the equivalent of copying an encyclopedia into a report. 

[mathnerd]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

I asked it to write to me in German about the neighborhood in the German city where I grew up. Aside from one small factual mistake, the writing is indistinguishable from what you would find on a website or brochure of a tourist bureau or city organization.

ETA; I had it repeat the exercise in the style of a romantic poet and it wrote a bad poem. 
I then had it write from the point of view of somebody who hates the neighborhood, and it came up with some interesting criticisms of the area I love so much... but it isn't wrong

My son has been asking it tips on how to study certain classical music pieces, their nuances, and tips and he is getting pretty accurate information on them. He is also asking it to write mini opinion pieces on various topics of interest in 4 different languages and it is doing quite a good job of it.

[mathnerd]

27 minutes ago, TechWife said:

It is mimicking data and format. We all use stock formats in a variety of ways. It is not able to synthesize information, communicate that synthesis or draw unique conclusions. We can. It is doing the equivalent of copying an encyclopedia into a report. 

There is a field of CS called "AI Training" which constantly trains the AI software and teaches it explicitly how to interpret data, how to learn from it, how to make accurate decisions and how to perform tasks with accuracy. It is similar to training a human to do those things and this company used a massive dataset and a lot of validation and testing to get to where they are now and hence the excitement. the AI in this product is constantly being trained and learning with a larger and larger dataset. So, the accuracy with which it perceives information to do its task will increase profoundly with more user interaction and more evolution.

@MercyAthere are some cool AI software for generating art that are making sensational and realistic art. You can input various characteristics of a person (height, hair color, eye color, clothes, occupation etc) or an animal or a scene or an imaginary sci-fi character and it renders those parameters into art.

https://midjourney.com/showcase/recent/ (so far, works on chrome browser for me)

https://neuralblender.com/create-art

https://dream.ai/create

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by mathnerd

[MercyA]

12 hours ago, mathnerd said:

 

@MercyAthere are some cool AI software for generating art that are making sensational and realistic art. You can input various characteristics of a person (height, hair color, eye color, clothes, occupation etc) or an animal or a scene or an imaginary sci-fi character and it renders those parameters into art.

https://midjourney.com/showcase/recent/ (so far, works on chrome browser for me)

https://neuralblender.com/create-art

https://dream.ai/create

Yes!!! Our favorite is https://stablediffusionweb.com/. Anyone can download the software or use their free online "playground." 

I have seen YouTubers use the software to make images for music videos by inputting the lyrics and some of them are really hauntingly beautiful.

We were playing with it this morning and it came up with some fun Cavalier images for us. Here's an anthropomorphic Cavalier in the style of Van Gogh:

[MercyA]

Here are some graphic representations of the Hive Mind and love. 

[MercyA]

And a steampunk Susan Wise Bauer serving cupcakes:

[MercyA]

I may or may not have made an image of Ken Ham running from a dinosaur...but won't post that one here. 😉 

[TechWife]

14 hours ago, mathnerd said:

There is a field of CS called "AI Training" which constantly trains the AI software and teaches it explicitly how to interpret data, how to learn from it, how to make accurate decisions and how to perform tasks with accuracy. It is similar to training a human to do those things and this company used a massive dataset and a lot of validation and testing to get to where they are now and hence the excitement. the AI in this product is constantly being trained and learning with a larger and larger dataset. So, the accuracy with which it perceives information to do its task will increase profoundly with more user interaction and more evolution.@MercyA

…

 

Scaling up dataset size has limits. It only increases accuracy to a point. In this example, incorrect info is scaled at the same time and in the same way that correct info is scaled.  It’s validation testing did not include accuracy of facts, just basic English language construction. It is not programmed to tell truth from lies. It makes stuff up because it’s goal is to sound good, not to actually give factual information. 

It has a biased dataset - specifically that of English language writers with resources that allow for internet access, so the dataset only reflects facts and opinions of that specific group of people. That’s significant - the opinions held and information known by those who write in Mandarin, Spanish, et. al. are specifically excluded, which limits accuracy of the factual information in the dataset. What is the benefit of having a machine that can turn out well structured, seemingly sound reports that are factually incomplete or incorrect on demand? The implications are staggering. Well meaning people can unwittingly produce propaganda to support any array of ideas. Those who don’t mean well will intentionally do so. The fact that it promotes lies and incorrect info so convincingly is hugely problematic.

Well known experts in AI ethics were forced out at Google when they brought up these concerns, and others. Excitement needs to be tempered by the reality of the limitations of the program itself. I’m not an expert in this area. Dh deals with these concepts regularly. This is cool, but only to a very limited point. So, yes, have fun with it - but it isn’t all people think it is and pushing the tech ethics experts, like those formerly at Google, to the sidelines comes at great cost.

DH found this simple recap of the paper On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots that he says sums up some of the broader issues nicely. He says anyone with the needed tech background would benefit from reading the full paper, though. 

 I’m repeating myself & since I’m not equipped to argue the finer points of this topic, I’ll  become an example of a stochastic parrot, that is, if I haven’t already,  if I try to explain any further!  

[TechWife]

47 minutes ago, MercyA said:

I may or may not have made an image of Ken Ham running from a dinosaur...but won't post that one here. 😉 

Pretty please?

[Bambam]

I think this link will work. It is supposedly from a professor who caught a student cheating using this software.

https://www.facebook.com/title17/posts/pfbid0D8i4GuCUJeRsDJjM1JJtfkDYDMCb7Y7RdK2EoyVhRuctg9z2fhvpo1bB2WAxGBzcl

[MercyA]

3 hours ago, TechWife said:

Pretty please?

I didn't save the ones I made earlier, but here is another for your viewing pleasure. Ken obliviously frolicking with a not-so-friendly t-rex:

Don't quote, please. 😉 

Edited December 17, 2022 by MercyA