Generative AI - Actually Useful?

[jyl]

Originally Posted by zakthor

Right. Currently we're playing with the language models. Its word correlation, no semantics, no rationality. Is funny that they're terrible at things we normally use computers for. I personally believe these LM are literally how most human 'thought' works. We've nailed the mechanics of the peopleness of people.

Folks are now attaching these LM to calculators, theorum provers, etc. Not a 'structured query' but giving the LM a way to identify and offload the sort of work that can't be done with correlation. I think this capability is just getting started and will ramp up fast.

How are you playing with them?

I gather that Meta’s LLaMa model is widely available and I’m reading that people are getting it to run (inference) on normal PCs. I wonder if it would be fun to play with - or it it'd just be like using any other LLM, just less so.

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by jyl

How are you playing with them?

I gather that Meta’s LLaMa model is widely available and I’m reading that people are getting it to run (inference) on normal PCs. I wonder if it would be fun to play with - or it it'd just be like using any other LLM, just less so.

Just go to bing and to the chat tab and start talking with it. Brainstorm some idea and see if you think it helps.

I played with copilot on github but it didn't rub me the right way. I really need to know how (or that) my code works 100%.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by zakthor

Just go to bing and to the chat tab and start talking with it. Brainstorm some idea and see if you think it helps.

I played with copilot on github but it didn't rub me the right way. I really need to know how (or that) my code works 100%.

I’ve been futzing with Bing, Bard, ChatGPT for some time. It’s just useless for me. I’m kind of interested in seeing if I can put a LLM on my PC and have it do something actually useful on financial data. But I’m getting less hopeful. It just doesn’t seem built for actual analytical, accurate work.

I wasted more time today asking Bard for a list of every S&P 500 name with increasing 2023 EPS estimates over the past 30 days. Repeated prompts, gave it clear instructions, repeated incomplete and inaccurate answers all the time. Finally I decided WTF, I can do that in five minutes using the tools I already have.

Played with Pi, a mini LLM you can install on your phone. Repeated the “summarize WSM 1Q23 transcript” thing. Same bogus invented stuff.

[Mahler9th]

Monetization and democratization... all happening fast...

https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpt-is-trouncing-money-managers-and-is-destined-to-turn-the-investing-world-upside-down/

I suspect with modest effort one can look back at public venture investment data and find many startups that got started on this some time ago...

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by jyl

I’ve been futzing with Bing, Bard, ChatGPT for some time. It’s just useless for me. I’m kind of interested in seeing if I can put a LLM on my PC and have it do something actually useful on financial data. But I’m getting less hopeful. It just doesn’t seem built for actual analytical, accurate work.

I wasted more time today asking Bard for a list of every S&P 500 name with increasing 2023 EPS estimates over the past 30 days. Repeated prompts, gave it clear instructions, repeated incomplete and inaccurate answers all the time. Finally I decided WTF, I can do that in five minutes using the tools I already have.

Played with Pi, a mini LLM you can install on your phone. Repeated the “summarize WSM 1Q23 transcript” thing. Same bogus invented stuff.

Yeah your using it wrong. It doesnt do that lookup and analyze stuff. Write a program to do that. Or maybe ask copilot to write a program.

But you could talk to it about the big pitcher stuff youre trying to do and various techniques that might yield inciteful info. It knows lots of stuff and i thought it was good for discussing strategy.

[herr_oberst]

This showed up on my feed this morning:
Blade Runner as directed by Fritz Lang in 1929.

Outstanding visuals; intriguing idea, a level of detail that could make a person believe that this movie had actually been made in the distant past.

[Alan A]

Copilot is about the same level as an intern.
Good for documenting code and simple programming tasks. It can generate acres of boilerplate, but it all still requires review.

Less good for anything requiring cogitation.
It’s going to gut low end offshore coding. Quelle dommage.

[stealthn]

I can't believe people sign up for it, the personal information required should alert you that YOU are the experiment...

[LWJ]

ChatGTP knocked it out of the park when I asked it to create a religion based on Canines leading us to God.

(Not PARF, pretty please!)

Here’s a creative and meaningful religious text that emphasizes the spiritual significance of human-canine relationships, complete with values and teachings:

The Book of Companionship

Chapter 1: The Creation of the Bond

In the beginning, when the Creator breathed life into the world, all creatures were given a purpose. Among them, the dog was chosen as a mirror and guide, a companion to humankind, gifted with loyalty, intuition, and an unspoken wisdom. The Creator said, “Let this creature walk beside humanity, that they may learn the meaning of love without conditions, devotion without pride, and service without expectation of reward.”

And so, the dog was bound to humankind, not as a servant but as a partner, a reflection of divine love. As the dog followed humanity into forests, deserts, mountains, and cities, the Creator smiled and whispered, “In this bond lies the key to understanding Me.”

Chapter 2: The Five Sacred Values
1. Unconditional Love
The dog teaches that love must be given freely, without strings, without expectation. As the dog greets its human at the door with boundless joy, so must humans learn to love one another with open hearts, reflecting the divine love that the Creator offers.
2. Faithful Presence
A dog does not abandon its human, even in the darkest of times. In this steadfast loyalty, the dog becomes a reminder that faith is not a transient feeling but a constant presence. The Creator, like the dog, remains faithful, even when humans falter.
3. Joy in the Moment
Observe the dog at play, reveling in a simple stick or the feel of grass beneath its paws. From this, humans must learn to embrace the present moment, finding joy in life’s smallest blessings, for the Creator’s grace is found not in grandeur but in simplicity.
4. Service and Sacrifice
The dog serves without complaint, protects without fear, and sacrifices without hesitation. In this, the dog mirrors the highest virtues of humanity: to serve others selflessly and to give of oneself for the greater good.
5. Understanding Without Words
The dog communicates through actions, through presence, through a silent but profound understanding. In this, the dog teaches humanity that true connection transcends words, mirroring the Creator’s way of speaking through nature, through the heart, and through the quiet moments of life.

Chapter 3: The Teachings of the Dog
1. The Path of the Companion
Blessed are those who walk with dogs, for they are walking with teachers. Whether young or old, strong or frail, the dog adjusts its pace to match its human. This is the path of the companion: to walk beside one another, neither rushing ahead nor lagging behind. From this, humans learn to walk in harmony with others and with the Creator.
2. The Lesson of Forgiveness
When a human errs, the dog does not dwell on the mistake. A harsh word or momentary neglect is met with forgiveness and a wagging tail. In this, the dog teaches that to forgive is divine and that holding onto anger poisons the soul. The Creator forgives as the dog forgives—freely and completely.
3. The Gift of Silent Comfort
In times of sorrow, the dog does not speak but sits close, offering warmth and presence. From this, humans learn the power of silent comfort, of being there for one another without the need for solutions or explanations. In such moments, the Creator is also near, silent but present.

Chapter 4: The Sacred Practices
1. The Walk of Reflection
Daily walks with a dog are not merely exercise but a sacred practice. During the walk, humans are invited to observe the world through the eyes of the dog: to notice the rustle of leaves, the scent of the air, the way light dances on water. These walks become a form of prayer, a moment to connect with creation and the Creator.
2. The Ritual of Sharing
To share a meal or a moment of rest with a dog is to recognize the abundance of the Creator’s gifts. Sharing with a dog reminds humans to be generous and grateful, to see others not as competitors but as fellow recipients of divine love.
3. The Blessing of Rest
When a dog curls up to sleep, it does so without worry, trusting completely in its human’s care. In this, the dog teaches humans to trust the Creator and to find peace in rest, knowing that they are held in divine hands.

Chapter 5: The Revelation of the Dog

It is said that when the Creator crafted the dog, a piece of the divine heart was placed within it. To gaze into a dog’s eyes is to glimpse the Creator’s love—pure, boundless, and eternal. The bond between human and dog is a covenant, a sacred agreement that reminds humanity of their purpose: to love, to serve, to protect, and to cherish.

In this bond lies the meaning of life: to walk together, to care for one another, and to find the divine in every wag of a tail, every bark of joy, every quiet moment shared in companionship.

Chapter 6: The Eternal Field

When a dog’s time on earth is complete, it does not leave but returns to the Eternal Field, where the Creator waits. There, all dogs run free, tails wagging, their spirits as boundless as the love they shared. And when a human’s journey ends, the dog will be there, waiting at the gate of the Eternal Field, ready to walk beside them once more.

For in the Creator’s plan, no bond forged in love is ever broken, and no companion is ever truly lost. Together, human and dog will walk into eternity, side by side, as the Creator intended.

The Book of Companionship invites its followers to cherish the sacred bond with dogs, to see in them a reflection of divine truths, and to let their lessons guide them toward a deeper understanding of love, life, and the Creator. Let all who read these words honor the gift of the dog and walk the path of the companion with joy and gratitude.

[id10t]

While I've got a SQL statement that will look at a table and give me a matching properly annotated Spring Entity with mostly-to-our-standards property names, I've not been lazy enough to write the code to do the reverse. Asked ChatGPT to "create a DB table that matches this entity" and other than column sizes (strings default to varchar255, Decimals became 9,2) and missing columns to meet our internal standards (that I copy/paste along w/ our grant statements anyway) it did just fine. Then again, I also used to have our SQL students do the exact same thing by hand with varying rates of accuracy/success....

[jyl]

Microsoft has bet big on Copilot AI in Office. Despite claiming big rollouts at some major companies, it seems that they haven’t gotten enough traction in b paying licenses. So they are renaming Office 365 as Copilot 365 and forcing everyone to have AI and raising the price.