AI. Blight or bonus?

[CambridgeWorks]

AI bot scraping has been playing havoc with UKBRR access, though not experienced it on here...yet!

Had a spare of days requiring multiple captcha being required at times where not previously experienced, such as my wife's iPad.

I also noticed that at times text I entered on forums or Facebook can have a "suggested" word replaced what I intended without me spotting it. Eg "archive" swapping with "achieve" and quite a few other examples I have experienced.
Whether AI alone or changes to text input spelling recognition I don't know.

I read today the NCA is getting rather concerned about possibility of AI generated video being used for alibis and so good a jury can be received it seems.
The BBC verify department must cost a fortune just to give the truth. Good job some care about it.
They will never be out of a job it seems.
Personally I would like things as they were rather than what they will probably turn into in times to come.

Rob

[BusyBee]

I have noticed that things often seem to be getting worse rather than better. I'm not sure how much AI has got to do with it.

Only yesterday I was looking up pentode constant current sinks and was presented with almost everything but even when I entered several explicit variations of search. I know it is perhaps a subject in which 99.99.. searches would not be for but I thought the idea of AI was to help, not hinder.

Luckily I have lots of books and other information in dowloaded PDF's so I found what I was looking for.

AI does seem to cope well for stock answers but can get it completely wrong for the unusual. Another thing about it is that it appears to be programmed to give results rather than admitting that it does not know. At least that's how it appears to me.

Tracy

[ppppenguin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Docto...tification This doesn't specifically reference AI but it's apart of the same thing. Look at Windows 11 (I'd rather not and I don't use it) but I read The Register https://www.theregister.com/ and feel very glad that I'm no longer a Windows user. Linux Mint on my main PCs. (XP and 98 on some older kit and in VMs, my wife is a Mac user)

[PerdioPal]

I detest AI, it's making the world a load of mush (common denominator stuff). Just imagine AI being used in court to prove a video was generated by AI...
I am sticking with good old human frailty, getting annoyed, saying sorry (proper apology, not the "got away with that again" type) and sitting down to mutual pints (other beverages are available) and a chat.

[CambridgeWorks]

Our local council has posted on Facebook about thinking of what you might take to the tip for disposal
A good initiative. Except AI gives suggestions when you click on the information.

""What are some items to repair?

Here are some common items that can be repaired instead of thrown away:

1. Clothing: torn seams, broken zippers, missing buttons
2. Furniture: scratched surfaces, loose joints, broken legs
3. Electronics: faulty chargers, cracked screens, broken batteries
4. Appliances: jammed mechanisms, faulty heating elements, broken knobs
5. Tools: dull blades, loose handles, rusty parts
6. Bicycles: flat tires, broken chains, loose gears
7. Toys: broken parts, worn-out batteries, loose screws
8. Shoes: worn-out soles, broken heels, loose stitching
9. Books: torn pages, broken spines, loose covers
10. Household items: leaky faucets, creaky doors, cracked ceramics

These items can often be repaired with basic DIY skills, or taken to a professional repair service.""

The ONLY thing public can remove is paint, via a tin of paint exchange system.
You are not allowed to remove anything that could be used to repair those items suggested above.

Rob

[DrStrangelove]

I made off with a Stanley Number 4 plane from the metal recycling bin.

The quantity of tools therein was depressing.

Since I don't drive any more, visits to the dump are curtailed completely.

[Mike Watterson]

Blight

Sometimes it's right (but then often stolen content), sometimes plausible but wrong.

Destroying the environment, damaging people's ability to think, giving control to a few big companies, usually unregulated.

Better search with fuzzy match only opt-in, boolean operators etc. No AI or sponsored or re-written results. An advert agency now has over 90% and has destroyed search.

[Mike Watterson]

It's forbidden to remove anything from recycling here, though they have a small area for permitted take-away.

It's also forbidden to remove anything from a bin or skip (US dumpster) without permission from the owner.

[CambridgeWorks]

Lincoln has had the no sale or removal a few years now. About 20 years ago, tenders were accepted to run the site and provide labour and anything except weee could be sold. Lps 50 p to a pound or so. High end fashion sorted and priced less than a tenner by his wife or partner.
Bicycles very cheap.
Then when the council regained control it became "recycling centre" once more
Nothing sold, all was recycled. Scrapped and destroyed.Say a metal box off a lawnmower was seen and enquiries made buying it to fix my mower. Sorry. Rules is rules, nothing can be removed from the site.
Heartbreaking at times, especially when I saw the identical Sony record deck as mine. Couldn't even have the perspex lid. It was not anything electrical. " Tampering with weee waste was against the law" I was told.
I asked about some plastic knobs on another item. Same response.

Anyway. Today, AI changed a couple of my intended words with totally different meanings and longer ones.
You really need to proof read everything you type in these days unfortunately.

Rob

[Radio Fixer]

Well I'm not so reactionary as some on here. I use Google search, which is part AI, certainly on formulating the answers to queries. This is on the PC (with W11) all the time for sorting out computer, phone and medical queries and find it most useful for a good , speedy start.

I agree that I hate it when trying to get an answer on a phone call to a Web-Site and you have to go thru AI first. As to AI generated images I've never tried to do that but expect that such false images were created manually by skilled Photoshop users before it.

How many jobs will it take away? thats a frightening thing and the rich companies and their share holders dont care. Its just another way to boost profits and get rid of more humans with their problems and demands. To me no worries as working is long behind me.

As to the W11 knockers well its still best for me. I spent time setting it up with Google help and You Tube videos and it works reliably for me. I tried to get away from it and went to Linux on a backup laptop and soon realized that it was going to be always a learning curve. I simply dont have the time and inclination to do this. With Windows I've been using it since the days of DOS and that familiarity helps. My know how comes and goes, it fades with time quicker as I have got older, but it gets a big boost every time I build a new PC and update the OS.

Gary