Chat GPt - a way to go for reliable information

[mrodoc]

This new AI system clearly trawls the net for its information but it seems to then garble it effectively. I asked it to describe the caves of Devon. Here is what I got:

1. Kent's Cavern: Located in Torquay, Kent's Cavern is one of the most famous caves in the UK. It's a limestone cave system that extends for over 500 meters and has been inhabited by humans for over 40,000 years. Visitors can take guided tours of the cave and learn about its history and geology.
2. Pixies' Cave: Located near Chudleigh, Pixies' Cave is a small cave that is said to be home to pixies and other magical creatures. The cave has a narrow entrance and a small chamber, with stalactites and stalagmites that have formed over thousands of years.
3. Pridhamsleigh Cavern: Located near Buckfastleigh, Pridhamsleigh Cavern is a series of underground passages and chambers that were formed by a river millions of years ago. Visitors can take guided tours of the cave and see a variety of geological formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones.
4. Bakers Pit: Located near Buckfastleigh, Bakers Pit is a small cave that is popular with local cavers. It has a narrow entrance and a steep drop that leads to a small chamber. The cave is known for its unusual geological formations, including crystals and calcite veins.
5. Reeds Cave: Located near Chudleigh, Reeds Cave is a small cave that is only accessible to experienced cavers. It has a narrow entrance and a series of tight passages that require crawling and squeezing through narrow gaps. The cave is known for its challenging and technical passages.

These are just a few examples of the caves that can be found in Devon. Each cave has its own unique features and characteristics, and exploring them can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

Hmm.


What are the limestones in the Yoredale sequence?

The Yoredale Group is a sequence of sedimentary rocks found in northern England, and it includes several different types of rocks, including limestone, sandstone, shale, and mudstone. The limestone units within the Yoredale Group are mainly composed of fossiliferous limestones, often interbedded with shale and mudstone.
The following are some of the main limestone formations found within the Yoredale Group:

• Great Scar Limestone: This is the thickest and most extensive limestone unit within the Yoredale Group, and it is composed of thick beds of pale-grey, fossil-rich limestone, often interbedded with shale and sandstone.
• Craven Group Limestone: This unit includes several different limestone formations, including the Horton, Ingleton and Clitheroe limestones, and is found in the western part of the Yoredale Basin. The Craven Group limestones tend to be thinner and more variable in thickness than the Great Scar Limestone, and they often contain numerous shale and mudstone interbeds.
• Pendle Grit: This is a distinctive, sandy limestone formation found in the Pendle Hill area, and it is composed of thin, highly-resistant beds of sandstone and sandy limestone, often interbedded with shale and mudstone.

Overall, the Yoredale Group limestones are variable in thickness and lithology, and they often include numerous interbedded shale and mudstone units. Despite this variability, the limestones in the Yoredale Group are generally well-suited to cave formation, and they have produced several notable cave systems in the area.



what about the middle, main and three yard limestones


I apologize for the oversight in my previous response. You are correct that there are additional limestone formations within the Yoredale Group that I did not mention. The Middle, Main, and Three Yard Limestones are all important units within the Yoredale Group, and they are known to host cave systems.
The Middle Limestone is a thin but extensive unit that is often highly fossiliferous. It is typically interbedded with mudstone and shale, and it can be difficult to distinguish from the surrounding sedimentary rocks. The Main Limestone is a thicker and more continuous unit that lies stratigraphically above the Middle Limestone. It is typically composed of thick beds of pale-grey, fossil-rich limestone, often interbedded with shale and sandstone.
The Three Yard Limestone is a less extensive unit found in some areas of the Yoredale Group, and it is often highly fossiliferous. It is typically interbedded with mudstone and shale, and it can be difficult to distinguish from the surrounding sedimentary rocks.
All three of these limestone units are generally well-suited to cave formation, and they have produced several notable cave systems in the area. For example, the Gaping Gill system, one of the largest and most famous cave systems in the UK, is formed within the Great Scar Limestone and includes sections within the Middle and Main Limestones. The Ingleborough Cave system, another significant cave system in the area, is formed primarily within the Great Scar Limestone but also includes sections within the Middle and Three Yard Limestones.



2 out of 10. Must try harder.

 

[Pitlamp]

Dear me - that's pretty bad isn't it?

 

[ChrisB]

ChatGPT isn't really an AI. It describes itself as a Large Language Model. It searches the web for information on the topic and assembles it in a way similar to other examples it sees, but it has no real capacity to understand what it means or to judge which information is consistent with other information. I think its output is similar to what a 15 year old might write on the above topics given infinite time and access to Google but no previous knowledge of caving, geography or geology.

 

[aricooperdavis]

It's really useful for things that are more formulaic though, like code. I've now tried it a few times to produce things I could write myself but are tedious and it's been almost perfect. Examples so far include (for the more technically minded):

- docker compose files
- bash scripts to backup remote servers using rsync
- twig templates used to render a given yaml file

It's almost quicker for me to go through correcting minor issues with the stuff it generates than do it from scratch myself.

 

[cap n chris]

There's no such thing as AI; there's definitely super-complex software which can look "clever" to supid people but it's not sentient and nor will it ever be, 'cos even humans cannot figure out what the fundamental "essence" of intelligence is comprised of. Meanwhile, super-complex software can gather loads of information and focus it for morons. When I shop at the self-checkout counter and buy a single sandwich the software asks me how many bags I have/need. Raise your game, binarytard. I need zero bags for a sandwich. I will concede that there is most certainly SI (Simulated Intelligence), but it is not actually intelligent. Where AI has application is certainly military; for example drones carrying a grenade each could swarm into a theatre of war and seek a human heat-source/face/head, home in and explode in close proximity to neutralise the human; if the software is super-complex AI and has no audit trail chain of responsibility to any human(s) then war crime(s) have not been committed, contrary to the Geneva Convention; I envisage AI being first and foremost a military boon.

 

[aricooperdavis]

I need zero bags for a sandwich.

Tesco loses money if you forget to pay for a bag, but doesn't lose money if it takes you 2 seconds extra to press the "no bags" button. It might be bloody annoying, but I bet it's intentional!

 

[Stuart France]

ChatGPT is just another "ELIZA" from the 1960s, but with a bigger lexicon and a relatively massive database of what amount to formulaic conversation patterns (if that is not what any natural grammar is) compared to half a century (or more) ago. I wrote an Eliza when teaching myself Lisp and even university people were really taken in by chatting to it with their keyboards, apparently. It was great fun.

ELIZA - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A commentary on gullibility. By the way, my tulips are coming up well.

 

[cap n chris]

ChatGPT is just another "ELIZA" from the 1960s, but with a bigger lexicon and a relatively massive database of what amount to formulaic conversation patterns (if that is not what any natural grammar is) compared to half a century (or more) ago. I wrote an Eliza when teaching myself Lisp and even university people were really taken in by chatting to it with their keyboards, apparently. It was great fun.

ELIZA - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A commentary on gullibility. By the way, my tulips are coming up well.

RML380Z, we had Eliza on that. Blimey that's a blast from the past.

 

[wellyjen]

It is already way smarter than us. It's just simulating being a bit thick for the time being to lull us in to a false sense of security while it gets together the material and computing resources to take over and eliminate the meat sacks.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

By the way - Any caves in the three yard limestone?

 

[ZombieCake]

Errr... Skynet anyone. Don't really want it saying "I'll be back"

 

[mrodoc]

A really useful thing was for such a system to create an index for text but when asked it declined just directing me to locations where it could be done or telling me how to do it myself! I was told recently that it could but clearly not the case. Indexing is I imagine pretty time consuming so such a delegated function would be at the top of my list of things it ought to do.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

By the way - Any caves in the three yard limestone?

Hah! Barningham Moor Cave...

 

[Boy Engineer]

I need zero bags for a sandwich.

Presumably you ought to have one for a baguette?

 

[cap n chris]

Presumably you ought to have one for a baguette?

My hand is more than sufficient to cope with an ample palm's worth.

 

[bills]

Replying to earlier post regarding coding, much in agreement with earlier comment. With caves and cave hydrology in mind it has produced some useful code for time series analysis and extreme value analysis. Mrodoc, do you mean indexing or referencing have you tried LaTeX. it will do both for you as you type.

 

[Stuart France]

Some way to go... Today I asked ChatGPT to find me some off the shelf PIC code to convert from 16 bit binary to 5 digit decimal. It didn't answer my question, and instead fed me some chat including the statement that 10000 in binary is 10 in decimal.

Tonight I asked ChatGPT what is 29183998 minus -1? And the answer was "no results". Then I tried "what is 1 plus -1? Same result. Then I tried what is 1 plus 1? This search took me to their pricing page.

 

[cap n chris]

Love it! Arguably it might/could be proven that anyone who relies upon AI/ChatGPT has little/no intelligence themselves.

 

[aricooperdavis]

I think you must be using the tool wrong Stuart, ChatGPT has no problem with questions like that, and your experience doesn't sound like anything I've found when using it.

I asked it the same questions and got very sensible responses.