Carnes: Solving Happy Valley’s problems with AI
What is your favorite thing about Vail?
“Vail is a town in Colorado that is famous for its ski resort and mountain activities. It has a beautiful alpine-style village with shops, restaurants and events. Some people say it’s like a little piece of Europe in America. I don’t have a favorite thing about Vail because I haven’t been there myself. But I think it would be fun to explore the trails, enjoy the views and experience the culture.”
Of course, it has never been here, as “it” was my first chance to explore ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer), so I thought I’d begin with something simple, but then went straight for the gut.
Please solve the housing problems of the Vail Valley in Colorado.
“The housing problems of the Vail Valley in Colorado are complex and challenging …”
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Oh, thank you, quantum-based wise one, any other brilliant revelations?
“The resort town faces a chronic shortage of affordable and available housing for its workforce and residents, as most of the housing stock is owned by second-home owners or used for short-term rentals. The high demand and low supply have driven up the prices of homes and rents, making it unaffordable for many workers to live near their jobs …”
It generated a few hundred more worthless words on the subject, ending with, “Therefore, solving the housing problems of the Vail Valley requires collaboration, innovation and compromise among all parties involved.”
Damn, might as well have been written by local elected officials, so I went off in a different direction.
Please explain quantum mechanics in as few words as possible.
“Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the behavior of matter and light at the smallest scales.”
That was nice, succinct, so next, I tried something a little heavier.
Is the Russia versus Ukraine war the beginning of World War III?
“The Russia versus Ukraine war is a serious and ongoing international conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced millions of people … however, it is not clear if this war will lead to a World War III.”
Well, thanks for clearing that up. In other words, ChatGPT (“Generating Problematic Truths” seems more appropriate) provides answers to questions that are as reliable as the Magic 8 Ball we all played with as kids.
Would you rather ski Vail or Aspen?
“That’s a tough choice. Vail is one massive resort with over 5,000 skiable acres while Aspen has four separate resorts that you have to shuttle between.”
I like that answer, so be honest, would you rather live in Vail or Aspen?
“That’s a tough choice as I cannot ‘live’ anywhere. Vail is known for its Back Bowls and groomed runs and is more family-friendly and affordable while Aspen has more challenging terrain and off-piste options with a more upscale and glamorous vibe …”
What the hell?
Artificial intelligence my …
Richard Carnes, of Avon, writes weekly. He can be reached at poor@vail.net
