I like it! I do worry about kids abusing it and losing out on vital brain connections that happen when they learn to write.

My quick response to your post -

I've used it a few times to polish up emails I was sending to companies about problems I was having with services and I've been really happy with the results.

The Chatgpt version -

I've used it several times to refine emails I sent to companies regarding issues I was facing with their services, and I've been very satisfied with the results.

Hope everything is okay with you and yours.

My husband, who is typically pretty medical literate, used it for just that purpose to decode summary of shoulder MRI results. Found the result somewhat clarifying.

I never think about it on my own.

I was surprised when a co-worker summoned it when she was writing a brief email. I am glad for the ability to write—perhaps some here disagree :)

I haven’t used it. As people rely less on their own ability to read and parse meanings or employ their vocabulary in their own writing, facility for both will atrophy. In one generation we will become a world of people unable to express ourselves. Maybe this is how the underclass without access to such tools finally rises above? I guess that would be the silver lining.

I am not generally interested in using tools that have the potential to do something bad even when used properly.

A number of people in my family have a Google Alexa type device. One time my sister was in a group chat on zoom or on a conference call with a few other people in the family and said "Google set a timer" and Google set a timer in three different households. And my sister said "Why did it do that?" and a Google in one of the other houses said "Because I listen to everything you say."

On a family vacation someone had brought their device and the topic turned to the political situation, and my nephew, who is finishing a doctorate in constitutional law and history said "I am not talking about this stuff in front of That" and indicated the Google.

I can write my own paragraphs. Maybe not as well as AI, but well enough to be understood.

I have a strong hesitancy to speak to a device. Occasionally in the car I will ask waze for directions but have never wanted siri or alexa actively listening.

And now that the thought police are moving in, we should probably scrub our phones regularly.

I haven't used it. I've always had good writing skills and don't think I'd find the need to use it for that purpose. I also have enough healthcare education and experience to understand medical jargon well enough to get by without it for that. And I'm getting old - not all that interested in every new piece of technology. I probably should resist that kind of thinking but at some point I think resistance is futile.

I wouldn’t even know how. 👵🏻

Love it! Planning our trip to Japan for next week and it has been amazing!

Same, Sue. I don’t know how it’s done.

I have used it on occasion, but recently learned it's terrible for the environment, so I am avoiding it until I hear otherwise.

I have an Alexa device in my kitchen. Currently she is playing the classics station I like listening to. She turns lights on and off for me. She helps me compile my shopping lists as I stand at the fridge and realize I need more half and half. I don't like her tone when she reminds me I've already got half and half on my list.

I have never intentionally used Chatgpt. I hate it when I go to a text I've received and quick responses are waiting for me to choose. No thanks.

I knew that data centers are big consumers of electricity and water. This articles scales it down to single user level with some conservation suggestions.

https://deteapot.com/chatgpts-carbon-footprint-how-much-energy-does-your-ai-prompt-really-use

if the link doesn’t work, on suggestion to use conservatively is to batch your queries and make them as specific as possible.

Interesting to think of information as a resource.

“I don't like her tone when she reminds me I've already got half and half on my list.”

😂

Yes, text suggestions makeme feel like a thoughtless, unoriginal idiot. Plus, even if i’d want to use it, I never manage to do so successfully and just type on.

Our "Safe With Me" policy at work restricts the use of any voice-activated devices to protect our company and our clients from having sensitive information inadvertently shared with the world.

Since I work from home I simply do not have any type of voice activated AI tools so that I don't mistakenly have Alexa or Siri listening to my conversations.

I am also concerned with the dissemination of incorrect information or biased information and the inappropriate use of AI.

AI is only as good as the information fed into the system and the algorithms that are written to select the "best" answer.

It is fine for getting suggestions for recipes, but can be misused to deny medical claims and create nightmares: https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/13/medicare-advantage-plans-denial-artificial-intelligence/

Depending on who is deciding how to write an algorithm to determine the answers provided could lead to Fox News vs MSNBC.

I think a lot of people recognize the bias in our news outlets, but most people trust surveys and reported results are true. Numbers don't lie. Computers don't lie. Except when an analysis is biased. How to Lie with Statistics was published in 1954 and is as true today as the day it was published.

Ha - How to Lie with Statistics was one of my college textbooks for a class about analyzing published research studies to assess the quality of the study and the validity of the results. It's one of the most valuable courses I've ever taken.

It’s not just a replacement for writing. You can be creative with it as well. For fun, I asked it to create a water color coat of arms for interior designers with a chandelier, throw pillows, etc., and the motto “move the table”
This is what it came up with. (And yes, I know in the large scheme of things using ChatGPT bites into the potential earnings of hard-working artists. But it also allows startup businesses to do just that, start up. You just have to be careful that you’re not using images someone else created.

And there are some misses of course. I’m not sure why that lamp on the left looks like a cross between a wall sconce and a handheld torch.

My son-in-law is Chief Google AI architect. He says we are not to worry. He has supplied my house with Alexa devices and i love and rely on her. I laughed at Bunny disliking Alexa’s tone because i know exactly what Bunny means. As far as i know, I have not used chatgpt. Now that a certain billionaire has access to everything, can it get any worse than that?

@ 3katz4me - You know Obama Care was based on a study that was purposefully done to prove that the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill wasn't a failure.

Since the bankruptcy reform didn't decrease the number of bankruptcies they decided they needed a reason. They did a study that showed that over 50% of all bankruptcies were "Medical Bankruptcies". To qualify as a "Medical Bankruptcy" the person filing had to have at least $1000.00 in unpaid medical bills (Even if they were going bankrupt over a $600,000 mortgage that they weren't able to pay or had $100,000 in other debt.) or they had a birth or death in their immediate family within the 12 months prior to bankruptcy, or they had a gambling addiction or substance addiction (medical issues). There were a whole bunch of other qualifiers that I don't remember off the top of my head, but it surely did not tell the true story of how many people had to file for bankruptcy because of an illness or hospital stay that piled up a bunch of medical debt.

I don't think Obama Care was all bad or all good, but the premise that it was needed because so many people were going bankrupt due to the high cost of medical care was completely distorted.

Never heard of it until this post. Although it might be something that I should try since I find myself re-editing important letters or emails to make them more succinct yet still clear.

Have not really utilized Chatgpt for anything other than playing around with its capabilities. For example, seeing what it would do with some basic information from my resume. Also, did the same with Google's NotebookLM which was fascinating. Creates a synthetic "podcast" with information from a document - like a resume. Fascinating and a little scary.

rubyclaire, I use it sparingly but have been impressed so far. And completely agree with your "a little scary" observation.

I personally have never used it.

My job involves writing product specs for developers to develop. We have the ability to use an AI tool to write these specs. I guess it might make things somewhat clearer but I've yet to use it. I'm also retiring in a few months and do not feel the need to learn new tools now.

DH is an expert. He's played around with it since it became a thing. He can also immediately spot something written by AI. He works in the college admission/SAT field and that skill is very useful.

Like someone said above, I do not like to talk to my electronics. In fact, I pretty much refuse. My family loves to make fun of me for it. They talk into the TV remote to change the channel. No thank you, I will use the guide and do it that way.

We have no Alexa type devices in our house. I don't like the idea.

A funny anecdote -- we're big Mets baseball fans. A player we have this year last name is 'Siri'. Every time we talk about him, DH's phone wakes up and says 'sorry I don't understand that. Can you repeat?' And I say this is why I have Siri disabled on my phone.

I use ChatGPT mostly as a first-pass explainer, especially when a report has unfamiliar terms. I still check the source, avoid entering identifying details, and ask my doctor before acting on anything. It can miss context or make a confident-sounding mistake, so I treat it more like a study aid than medical advice.

The same limitation comes up with medical translation. For anything patient-facing or regulated, I’d rather use AI+HUMAN Translation, where a qualified reviewer can catch terminology and meaning errors before it goes out.