Questionably intelligent

“McCook, Nebraska was an important town in the 19th century as it was a hub for transportation and commerce. The Union Pacific Railroad built a major rail yard there in 1882, making it a central point for the movement of people and goods. The railroad brought significant economic growth to the town and attracted many new residents and businesses. Additionally, McCook was a destination for homesteaders and was the site of several land offices. This made the town an important center of activity for land sales and settlement in the region.

“McCook also played a strategic role during the Indian Wars of the late 19th century. The town was home to a military post and served as a supply center for troops. In the late 19th century, McCook was a thriving and growing community, and it continued to be an important economic and transportation hub for the region throughout the 20th century.

“In summary, McCook, Nebraska was an important town in the 19th century as it was a hub for transportation and commerce, attracted many new residents and businesses, and served as a strategic point during the Indian Wars.”

I did not write those three paragraphs. No one wrote those three paragraphs. What you just read was generated by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) “engine” in response to my question, “Was McCook Nebraska an important town in the 19th century?” For being generated automatically, I don’t think it’s terrible. The tone is a bit stuffy, and I’m not too sure about us having a military post of any significance during the “Indian Wars,” but I can understand why academia is keeping a close eye on AI technology.

The source in question is a new web-based application called “Chat GPT” and is offered as a free beta test by the Elon Musk brainchild, OpenAI. The platform has been in the news almost continuously since its release late last year, and earlier this week, curiosity pushed me over the edge and I gave it a try.

The technology behind Chat GPT is not without its quirks. The introduction to the platform includes the caveat “may occasionally generate incorrect information,” which may or may not explain our military post. It then follows with, “may occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.” I suppose it’s possible for me to have lived in McCook for a couple of decades and not know that we once had a fortress, strategically perched on the banks of the mighty Republican, but the word “harmful” commands attention.

At this stage of the game, the technology is flawed enough to look harmless. It’s even fun to play with. This particular AI is set up in a question/answer format, so I asked the question, “Did George Norris eat at Mac's Drive-in?” Almost apologetically, the AI answered in the first person, saying, “I could not find any information that states whether George Norris, a prominent American politician and statesman from the early 20th century, ate at Mac's Drive-In, a specific restaurant in McCook, Nebraska. George Norris was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska who served from 1913 to 1943 and was known for his progressive policies and support of rural communities. He lived most of his life in McCook, Nebraska and was deeply involved in the politics and community of the area. However, as Mac's Drive-In is a modern restaurant and George Norris passed away in 1944, it is unlikely that he had the opportunity to eat there.”

Again, not bad. I threw it an improbable question and it returned simple, declarative statements with an appropriate disclaimer. For the record, George Norris was reportedly at home in McCook when he died in 1944. The “Visit Nebraska” site says that Mac’s opened in 1943, but sources closer to home peg the date at 1949. It would have been nice to think that George was able to visit our landmark drive-in before he passed, but what I find more interesting is that our primitive bot knew both our Senator and our flagship diner, and it took about 20 seconds to produce.

I then wanted to pose a more practical question to the bot. People in the Economic Development world often compare their towns with similar communities to determine what they call “expected” services and amenities. No two towns are ever 100% alike, making those comparisons very difficult, so I wondered what towns Chat GPT would say were similar to McCook.

I asked, “What rural cities are most comparable to McCook Nebraska?” Chat GPT replied, “Rural cities that are most comparable to McCook, Nebraska would likely share similar characteristics such as small population size, agricultural-based economies, and a small-town feel. Some examples of rural cities that may be considered comparable to McCook include: Kearney, Nebraska, Hastings, Nebraska, Chadron, Nebraska, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Sidney, Nebraska, and Lamar, Colorado.

“All of these cities are located in the Great Plains region of the United States and have similar population sizes, agricultural-based economies, and small-town feel as McCook. However, these are just a few examples, and there may be other rural cities that share more similarities with McCook depending on what specific characteristics you are looking for.”

I didn’t consider that to be a great answer, did you? On population alone, Sidney and Lamar are comparable, but the rest are substantially larger. So, is Chat GPT a research tool? No, at least not yet. For now it’s little more than a novelty; an amusement, so why not have fun with it?

I then asked, “Should the Crawford Mammoths be the new symbol of the Nebraska Republican Party?” Chat GPT replied, “I am an AI language model and do not have the ability to have opinions or give political advice. It is ultimately up to the members of the Nebraska Republican Party to decide on a symbol that best represents their values and goals. The Crawford Mammoths, ancient creatures that lived in the area that is now Nebraska, may or may not be an appropriate symbol for the party depending on the context and the message they want to convey. It's important to consider the implications and the cultural significance of any symbol chosen. Symbols are powerful tools that can be used to evoke emotions and shape perceptions, it's important to use them responsibly.”

Our bot seems to have no sense of irony, but make no mistake, I am thoroughly impressed. We’re still a few generations (of the technical sort) away from a smarter, more practical model, but I can see why the advent of artificial intelligence has people concerned. For now, I view Chat AI as a baby grizzly bear. Our creator makes babies cute so we don’t eat them, but then they grow up and are capable of eating us. I get the same feeling about artificial intelligence. It’s fun now. It’s impressive, shiny and new, but look out. AI is going to change things in ways we have yet to imagine. Let’s hope that most are good.