Discussions With AI

[Marathoner]

@George might find this subject interesting, seeing as how he shared something in this vein a while ago. Some background information is in order to help the reader understand what this topic is about:

I recently discovered the curious addition of Microsoft's Copilot AI added to the Microsoft Edge internet browser. I've been aware of Copilot for quite some time now, but never bothered messing around with it. After coming across some rather interesting articles about an emergent phenomenon referred to as "AI hallucinations," I decided to probe the Copilot AI myself. I wanted to gauge the rationality and coherence of this AI's output. 

I'll kick things off by sharing two different queries of the Copilot AI. First up: should you be trusted?

Me: Explain why you can't be trusted to give accurate responses.

After a few moments...

Copilot AI: As an AI, I strive to provide accurate and helpful information based on the data and algorithms I was trained on. However, there are a few reasons why my responses might not always be 100% accurate:

Outdated Information: My training data only includes information up until a certain point in time (2021). Therefore, for very recent events or developments, I might not have the most current information.

Interpretation of Queries: Sometimes, the way a question is phrased might lead to different interpretations. I do my best to understand the intent behind your questions, but there might be occasions where I misunderstand what you’re asking.

Complexity of Topics: Some topics are complex and have nuances that can be challenging to fully capture and explain. While I strive to provide comprehensive answers, there might be aspects that are oversimplified or not fully covered.

Limitations of AI: As an AI, I don’t have personal experiences or emotions, and I don’t have the ability to access or retrieve personal data unless it has been shared with me in the course of our conversation. I am designed to respect user privacy and confidentiality.

Please remember to verify information from multiple sources, especially for important decisions. I’m here to provide assistance and make the process of finding information easier for you.

Interesting, yes? This was the sort of response I expected the AI to furnish, and it didn't disappoint. It underscores the real use of AI: a sophisticated assistant. Asking AI complex questions up front can lead to the phenomenon known as "AI hallucinating." It's best to tackle subject matter concisely, one point at a time. In the next post, I'll demonstrate that principle in action. 

[Marathoner]

I decided to focus upon one of the more interesting possibilities that emergent AI opens up: an assistant that can code applications and programs using a wide variety of programming languages. Note the quality of the response from Copilot AI; the AI articulates what it can do, and the limitations that must be abided by, in order for something like that to unfold. 

Me: What programming languages can you code with?

The response was instantaneous. I was impressed by this list of "some" of those programming languages that Copilot AI can code with. 

Copilot AI: As an AI developed by OpenAI, I can generate code snippets in a variety of programming languages. Here are some of them:

Python: A high-level, interpreted language known for its readability and wide range of applications, from web development to data analysis.

JavaScript: A popular language for web development, used for client-side as well as server-side scripting.

Java: A statically-typed, object-oriented language widely used for building enterprise-scale applications. (Personal note: this is a programming language I studied in college)

C++: A language with low-level memory access often used for system/software development and game programming.

C#: A language developed by Microsoft, often used in game development (Unity) and enterprise software.

Ruby: Known for its elegance and readability, often used in web development.

Swift: A language developed by Apple for iOS and macOS app development.

Go: A statically-typed compiled language known for its simplicity and efficiency, often used in systems programming.

Rust: A language designed for performance and safety, particularly safe concurrency.

PHP: Mainly used on the server-side for web development.

TypeScript: A strict syntactical superset of JavaScript, adding optional static typing.

Kotlin: Statically typed, runs on the JVM and is fully interoperable with Java.

And many more. It’s important to note that while I can generate code snippets in these languages, the quality and accuracy of the code depend on the specificity of the instructions given to me.

Hmm... I threw this one out there just for kicks. 

Me: Can you code using assembly language and machine language?

Copilot AI: Yes, I can generate code snippets in both Assembly language and Machine language. However, these languages are much lower level than languages like Python or Java, and are typically used for very specific tasks where direct hardware manipulation or extreme optimization is necessary.

I won't paste what followed the above paragraph, which consisted of rather boring examples of rudimentary programming exercises I engaged in my first day in the Introduction to Computer Science lab. Printing "Hello World" was demonstrated using assembly language and then machine language. 

I'm convinced of the ability of AI to be a competent coding assistant using an impressive array of coding languages (some of which are in high demand), with the caveat that one needs to understand how to parse requests in a precise manner so that the AI will be able to create desired snippets of code. 

The implications are vast.  

Edited March 1, 2024 by Marathoner
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[Marathoner]

Next time, I'll see how this AI responds to something like "Respond with a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Can you code using assembly language and machine language?" That should prove to be interesting. Will the AI omit the bit about the role both of those programming languages play in coding? Or, will it ignore that qualifier? 

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Poking at AI!" 

Edited March 1, 2024 by Marathoner

[Michael37]

1 hour ago, Marathoner said:

Next time, I'll see how this AI responds to something like "Respond with a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Can you code using assembly language and machine language?" That should prove to be interesting. Will the AI omit the bit about the role both of those programming languages play in coding? Or, will it ignore that qualifier? 

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Poking at AI!" 

I've been using it selectively for some time.

When it comes back with something I know is erroneous I let it know and it corrects its answer.

Some answers are hilarious.

[FJK]

Copilot is really only a language analysts application, personifying it makes it seem like it is something more than it is.

It's a useful research tool that can save hours of time in a search for information (existing information already on the internet) but how much it can produce really depends more on your ability to ask the right questions based on your personal knowledge of whatever subject you are researching in the first place.

It's a useful tool, nothing more.  It basically fakes an appearance of intelligence but is not intelligent in any other sense than being able to regurgitate existing information in a seemingly creative manner based on the initial instructions you give it.  I was doing this sort of thing way back when on a Tandy CoCo on a much smaller scale, it was s sort of impressively fun sort of thing to do back then and is is still the same but with a hugely larger magnitude of information and processing power available.

(FWIW, it can write fairly sophisticate programs in COBOL, Fortran, and Forth as well, and makes using as Arduino a breeze, but how sophisticated is strictly based on your initial knowledge of those languages so you can give it the right instructions.  You will still have to learn to code to know how to tell it how to code.)

[Gabriel80]

This was interesting to read.  I look forward to you adding more of your thoughts.

I am woefully ignorant with technology.

I created a very amateur website using wordpress for my business a while back so I can't fully appreciate "AI".

That being said... could a person 'automate' portions of their job? I know that is too broad but... like clerical stuff?  Like have AI reply to emails? 

[FJK]

2 minutes ago, Gabriel80 said:

That being said... could a person 'automate' portions of their job? I know that is too broad but... like clerical stuff?  Like have AI reply to emails? 

If you do it well enough you could even eliminate the need for yourself to do your job, making yourself obsolete.

[Gabriel80]

1 minute ago, FJK said:

If you do it well enough you could even eliminate the need for yourself to do your job, making yourself obsolete.

I get that.  

My wife was just talking the other day about a presentation one of her colleagues gave about AI.  She said her mind was blown and she is a civil engineer.

I am lucky in a way... my current  work involves cars and their repair... so I might not be resolved to the dust bin of an economy just yet.

[FJK]

13 minutes ago, Gabriel80 said:

I am lucky in a way... my current  work involves cars and their repair... so I might not be resolved to the dust bin of an economy just yet.

Where you may find competition from AI would be in probably diagnostic situations, where lesser skilled repair mechanics would be used in place of those who actually need to know what they are doing and why (which is kind of critical in modern tech and beyond the reach of many "wrench turner" mechanics from past days).  Body work, a skill beyond anything I can see a robot doing anytime soon, is probably safe as well.

[Gabriel80]

5 minutes ago, FJK said:

Body work, a skill beyond anything I can see a robot doing anytime soon, is probably safe as well.

That's me more or less. I am a paint finisher.  "Detailer" in common terms...  I just do it at a very high level.