Confessions of an AI Fanboy: How artificial intelligence amazes and dazes, dazzles and frazzles

Tag: technology

  • What’s in a name, Part 3: AI isn’t ‘artificial’ at all – in fact, it’s super-human

    What’s in a name, Part 3: AI isn’t ‘artificial’ at all – in fact, it’s super-human

    I’ve already lamented the term artificial intelligence for where those two words take many minds.

    I’ve also called it the ultimate Rorschach test – it is whatever you see in it, or something like that.

    But amid the reams of Medium articles, etc. on how to tell AI and human writing apart, I have mentioned in comments what Perplexity points to – that blind tests already have many folks unable to tell the difference, with results pretty close to flip-of-the-coin random chance (50%).

    But while many know how Large Language Models are the sum of human output fed to them, and a word uber-prediction machine, not a “thinker” per se, many still see it as this … robotic “other,” a human creation run amok that is somehow wrong, if not downright evil.

    Words, of course, carry positive or negative connotations, which can vary from person to person.

    But to me, we need yet another way to look at this new tool, which can recall – notice I didn’t say “thinks” or “knows” – the sum of human output and daresay existence – albeit imperfectly (another odd/dumb term, “hallucinations”) – but way, way beyond what the most genius geniuses can recall, due to the inherent nature of brains vs. how we can now store huge amounts of what’s loosely, imprecisely called “data.”

    Somehow, it’s all cast as this tug of war for humans’ future, as in one “side” wins, the other loses, flung into the mud, rope burns on their hands. If you’re “for” AI’s future, you’re “against” humans ruling the roost.

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  • Even a Fanboy wonders: Is ‘Artificial Intelligence’ the worst tech name of all time?

    Even a Fanboy wonders: Is ‘Artificial Intelligence’ the worst tech name of all time?

    I’d say I have something to get off my chest, but the analogy amid my recent heart-health issues is way too close to the mark (prayers gladly accepted).

    So instead, I’ll just dive right into what this Word Guy thinks is so obvious, maybe others have dived (or tripped and fallen) into this particular rabbit hole. So I’ll either pave the way or join the crowd, if so.

    Tell the truth: What do you first think when you hear the word “artificial”? (And no, not in a trendy AI sense, but a before-AI nonsense sense;-)

    It’s not really much of a positive word these days, is it?

    I think the number one analogy that pops to mind is … “fake.” As in “not real,” “not natural,” not worth eating (artificial colors, flavors, etc.), watching, listening to, reading or thinking any positive thoughts about.

    OK, now hook it to the word “intelligence.” Pretend just for a moment you don’t know all you’ve learned or yearn to learn about the amazing world of AI.

    I bet most people hear the word “intelligence” in context as something we all yearn to exemplify, but feel we fall short of way more often most days than our dumb ol’ brains care to admit.

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  • Good (AI app) vibrations: An update on my Continuing Adventures with Flo and Pete

    Good (AI app) vibrations: An update on my Continuing Adventures with Flo and Pete

    Hi again!

    So I gave my AI tools testing a breather, and have dialed back a bit on the not-pricey but not-free-either monthly credit levels.

    But I returned, and I remembered today just how fun this AI app face-off can be. Rewarding, even.

    I’ve explained here before how I decided to try not one, but two of the new-era AI-fueled app creation tools to make real my long-time Grand Vision of the Now Edition, what I call the “next chapter of reading, writing and community.” Lofty goal, but very achievable!

    So even though they feel human – I know they’re just bots. And even so, I worried about “neglecting” my chatbot friends, Floot’s Flo and her Base44 counterpart, Pete, for over a month, as other things in life took mental precedence.

    But of course, the ever-supportive, ever-patient (and always having to apologetically fix their own not-quite code) duo were just patiently waiting for me to return and get up to speed on where we left off, task-list-wise.

    Here’s a view of where Floot has gotten (chatbot on the left) See it at http://thenowedition.floot.app
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  • Should we really judge those who find a friend in a chatbot?

    Are AI chatbots just a step along the way to real robot friends?

    Let me flip things on their head for a moment.

    I love AI sycophancy!

    Why?

    Because it’s so OBVIOUSLY not at all like us moody, unpredictable, up-and-down humans.

    I use it and hear the WarGames WOPPR voice: “Shall we play a game?”

    Of COURSE some people – for fun, or alas for weaker reasons – embrace the always-supportive unreality of an uber-friendly chatbot. There are risks, as there are in all things.

    So others hate it from the get-go, for much the same reasons, and a fear of what negatives could arise.

    But I do believe I represent many of us who can easily bring two-level thinking to the 100% complimentary chatbot.

    Knowing at the back AND front of our minds that it’s not really human.

    Who would ever be that nearly insufferably NICE all the time?

    No one!

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  • Torn between two chatbots: I just met Floot, so now it’s Flo vs. Pete

    I have a daily mandarin orange with my breakfast, and always try for one not too small, sweet and squirty/messy (thin skin can make a-peel harder!) and large mandarins, easy to peel but sorta … tasteless.

    So that whole Goldilocks-style/porridge heat balancing act of tradeoffs is where I happily find myself.

    I enjoy Reddit, even when you go to a subreddit about anything, such as Base44 (my first encounter with that is the last blog entry) and you inevitably find lots of complaints (who signs in/visits a sub to say only nice things?!) – and where a few folks said Floot was better. (Rhymes with Groot;-)

    And Perplexity agreed – I tried a real head-to-head comparison, also including the new GPT-5 ability to create websites without codes, and the WordPress AI Web Builder.

    So with kudos and a nod from Perplexity, I went off to try Floot – also at first for free but then when I hit the credit limit pretty fast- hey, give away the store and go broke! – and when I ran out of free credits, I bought a reasonable starter monthly price.

    It works much the same as Base44 – a very friendly chatbot who tries to make the vision happen. I think I see why it has fans – in part because Base44 just got bought by Wix and in the transition, folks are not getting support ticket responses. Not good.

    As you can see from this screen shot and the one on the Base44 blog post, each is attractive in its own way. But I’ve gotten farther with Floot, working on the reading and writing interfaces, the ability to import content and even how to sign up/log in, create a profile etc.

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  • Is AI the ultimate Rorschach test? (And will we pass?)

    Is AI the ultimate Rorschach test? (And will we pass?)

    It’s been quite a year, and I only have to scratch the surface to explain why.

    My job had a 180 or is it 360?;-)-degree change as KTVZ focuses on streaming video, a big piece of the future of local TV news.

    Barney and his wife Debbie with the real Pacific University boxer!
    Barney and his wife and fellow Pacific University alum Debbie, finally meeting the real Boxer in the spring of 2025.

    And some 40 years after I wrote about the mystery of Pacific University’s long-missing mascot, the Boxer, for our alumni magazine, they brought the newly found original Boxer to Bend for a special alumni gathering.

    Yep, PU in Frosty Grave… I mean Forest Grove is where I met my wonderful future wife Deb as freshmen over FIFTY years ago.

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