Like politicians? Nah, they think they already know everything, so why would they bother?
I get your being facetious 
My thought was more, for most queries it’s likely to replace search.
It’s why google is panicking to get something out there.
At least with search your forced to apply some degree of filtering to read though documents to find the answer, Wikipedia is at least curated.
I think most unsophisticated users will take the answers given as correct, simply because of how it’s presented.
It concerns me because of the reliance we have on search now, pre google/wikipedia you actually had to remember how to do things, I just look things I do infrequently up now. I frequently write code in 4 or 5 different languages now, and I don’t even remember the basic syntax/core libraries of some of them if I don’t use them for a day or two because I can quickly search it.
Perhaps I’m overstating it or over generalizing search changed the way we function, but I really don’t think so. I used to know the hex representation and instruction timing of every Z80, 65816 and 68000 op code, I doubt I’d bother memorizing any of that if I were working with them today. That’s not a bad thing, it’s more indicative of how what we need to remember has changed.
If Chat GPT’s role is largely going to be replacing search, and search is basically about advertising revenue, how long before whoever is hosting the AI boosts it’s answers based on $$$ to questions like “What is the best coffee maker under $100”?
Where does that boosting end?
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That’s nothing new. Many generations of teachers/professors have repackaged standard information as something new and unique. This is the definition of sophistry. The best cons make you feel happy and lucky as you get scammed and robbed blind (see Bernie Madoff).
I think we know. It doesn’t end. All major tech firms are biased toward pulling you into a walled garden, feeding you propaganda, and then milking you for every penny. The predators among us always optimize their predation, and the smart ones do it with grace. ChatGPT has the potential for being just a modern form of bloody claws and fangs.
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I’ve been working to refine a good prompt for version 4. The AI confirms that 500 words or less is optimum for a prompt. It’s helped me refine a prompt for my specific needs in social media posting, but it is frustrating in what I must leave out.
I’m trying to create a specific story conversational format between two main characters. It seems too limited in that I can’t supply a wide background range. Worse, I want the character representing me to show a witty and dry sense of humor. The AI struggles with this.
It is limiting that in the paid version, there is no way to save some set of facts or circumstances for the AI to draw on. I don’t mind saving in a text format, then copying into the prompt to set things up, but again, the 500 word limit comes into play. For best results I need to edit the prompt each time for the specific content, and do a few iterations of output.
This is almost as hard as writing the stuff to begin with…
Any thoughts or ideas? Perhaps I need to have a word list of high response rate words for social media.
Just don’t feed the beast!
Just make sure they’re the Flaming Hot ones!
To be honest this is the important thing. It may all be a waste of time until the process becomes more flexible, if ever.
Mark Gosdin
Using browser plug-ins or apps is the easiest way to get around these limitations.
In addition to simple canned templates, they can have adaptive templating, you can preset “personas” (complete or partial) or any other set of directives or constraints, and don’t require any cut and paste.
I wound up building my own. It’s a work in progress. But it can do the above, as well as progressive refinement/elaboration/exploration by having several sessions “talk” among themselves* (in other words, it starts with a prompt, and is setup to turn the response into a prompt/question for another session … and then goes back and forth, or round and round, depending on the number of sessions).
*This can be a bit like putting a group of VERY drunk people together and having them talk among themselves.
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Interesting. Any shareable version soon? Based on Mac, Win, Linux or something else?
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It isn’t something I ever planned on sharing, so nothing “soon” - maybe not ever.
As it is, it’s a macOS/iOS app, and a Safari extension. Given the source, you’d need to modify the project with your own ChatGPT API key* and rebuild/deploy in Xcode to use it at all.
Sharing stuff in that manner tends to result in lots of requests for help/handholding, and I just don’t have the time, interest or desire to engage in that sort of thing.
*Easy to get, since you’re a paid OpenAI user, but bear in mind there are metered usage costs for the API above and beyond your monthly subscription fee.
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Completely understand. I looked at the API info but decided not to go in over my head. Having been in the position of chief hand holder in the past, I’d choose to keep it to myself also.
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If I ever bother to build a proper app for it, I’ll shoot you a TestFlight invite.
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“Chief Bottle Washer & Hand Holder”.
We went live with a migration of our ERP at work. New OS ( Red Hat ), Updated DB and our ERP code which has been EXTENSIVELY modified. This involved a full recompile of said ERP code, which has never been done since I took over as DBA some 8 years ago. ( I know I tried to get them to compile it to find all the gotcha’s, no use. )
So, it actually went fairly well though even after extensive testing there were still a number of surprises yesterday. Now comes Monday and the horde ( 600+ users ) will be unleashed on it.
Massive Hand Holding.
Mark Gosdin
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I wish it would be that easy to channel all my energy ( cough money cough) into one hobby.
Thank you gents. 
Happy cake day Torq!
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Happy Birthday frkasper!
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Happy Birthday all you chaps who’ve had them recently.
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