This would be an amazing build, but holy moly!!

[TerryWerm]

I was messing around on ChatGPT and decided to have a little fun. I asked it to design a two-cylinder Corliss engine to run at low RPM and put out 2 HP. What it came up with was rather interesting!

Bore and Stroke:  3" x 6"
60 PSI Mean Effective Pressure steam from a 120 PSI source
78 RPM
Flywheel diameter: 24"
Flywheel rim: 4" wide x 3.5" thick
Flywheel weight: 300 pounds
Crankshaft torque: 135 ft-lbs.

No, I do not intend to build such an engine! I just thought the details were rather neat and figured some of you would find them interesting as well.

[Jasonb]

i was going to ask AI why Pat is not getting on with his Ball Hopper but the time taken for these whole load of posts have answered that for me 

[peatoluser]

I just wish ChatGPT would tell me where the heck I've put all those 10BA nuts and bolts I bought at the Midlands Exhibition...

I believe some MIT researchers did an experiment by using an electroencephalathingy to measure brain activity while getting students to write an essay the old fashioned way and using ChatGPT. Apparently the machine showed there wasn't much brain activity when using ChatGPT. and when quizzed about what they had written, they struggled to remember. Whereas the old fashioned way, plenty of brain activity and comprehension.

[mklotz]

QUOTE

Lockheed P-38 Lightning (USA)

Role: Fighter/Bomber

Key Features: With its twin-boom design and distinctive nose, the P-38 was a versatile aircraft capable of performing a variety of roles, including interception, ground attack, and reconnaissance.

Strengths: Excellent speed, range, and firepower. The P-38's high-altitude performance was also notable.

Notable Achievement: It was the plane used to shoot down Adolf Hitler's favorite ace, Erwin Rommel, and also contributed to the success of many strategic bombing missions.

UNQUOTE


Rommel was a field marshal, hardly an "ace" in the sense of air victories.  The most noteworthy victory of the P38s was the ambush, during Operation Vengeance, of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet and the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor .

[crueby]

QUOTE

Lockheed P-38 Lightning (USA)

Role: Fighter/Bomber

Key Features: With its twin-boom design and distinctive nose, the P-38 was a versatile aircraft capable of performing a variety of roles, including interception, ground attack, and reconnaissance.

Strengths: Excellent speed, range, and firepower. The P-38's high-altitude performance was also notable.

Notable Achievement: It was the plane used to shoot down Adolf Hitler's favorite ace, Erwin Rommel, and also contributed to the success of many strategic bombing missions.

UNQUOTE


Rommel was a field marshal, hardly an "ace" in the sense of air victories.  The most noteworthy victory of the P38s was the ambush, during Operation Vengeance, of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet and the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor .

Good example Marv!  The AI web searches seem to just quote the first couple pages they find, with no regard for any accuracy. I've long given up trying to use the AI results in searches, had way too many results that were obviously wrong. The old joke - its on the internet, has to be right! is still as true and funny (or not) as ever. AI can do some amazing things in processing experiment data, but it has to be overseen closely by someone who actually knows the science.

[PaulR]

I use AI quite a bit and find it a very useful tool but it does generate some fanciful results. One of the most useful feats it has performed for me is to take one of my documents (around 20 A4 pages of research) and create a chronology of events with one sentence summaries formatted into a table to my specification. The results were very impressive, fast and accurate. So I'd have to say it's great at sorting facts (I tested ChatGPT and Claude with similar results).

I regularly ask it to perform web searches for niche historical facts with sources. When I follow up on the quoted sources I often find it has conflated information found on a single webpage or document to create what Trump's spokeswoman once called 'alternative facts'. Once the error of its ways are pointed out it will either find a true source or more often admit that it made a mistake. Nevertheless is can provide leads and carry out searches much quicker and with more versatility than I could.

The third use I've found is to check and expand upon my calculations. For example, I worked out how many house-bricks could be made from a yard-deep layer of clay dug from two pits measuring 70x30 yards (for an archaeological dig I'm working on). The answer came out the same as mine but it was able to instantly adjust the results for various volumes of pebbles included and various percentages of shrinkage from firing, providing tables for both. Very handy.

All in all I'd say it's a very useful tool but the 'facts' it presents should always be checked against other reliable sources. The worst aspect for me is the fawning nature of its interactions: "What a perceptive question!", "That's a very insightful proposition", "You clearly have a deep understanding of the subject" etc etc. Makes me feel queasy!!