Voice Chatgpt

I guess that if you were visually impaired this might feel like a positive step forward.

The programme that the blind comedian Chris McCausland made about AI was very interesting. He was able to go for a walk in some smart glasses that described the surroundings and answered his questions about it. I am sure that felt good!

I am not particularly worried that the voicing has been made to sound human - it was an inevitable next step.

The thing about AI is that it is a powerful tool and can be used in positive or negative ways. Alcohol can be flavorsome and enjoyable but can also wreck lives if misused. Cars are a huge asset, but kill and maim if misused.

Of course. It wasn’t the fact that the voice sounded ‘human’, more that the language used was perfectly normal! Here’s a bit of the transcript of my question about my iced up fridge….

Hmm.That usually means warm air’s getting in and moisture is freezing on the back wall. First, switch the fridge off and let the ice melt naturally. Don’t chip at it with anything sharp. Once it’s fully defrosted, dry it inside thoroughly and switch it back on. If the ice comes back in a few days, it might be a dodgy door seal or a defrost fault. Is it a combined fridge-freezer, and is the ice actually on the inside back wall or behind a panel?

I’ll stick to Alexa

I know! - it can come as a shock!

I use it all the time, although I have not used the voice yet.

The other day my TV remote died. I did the obvious thing and put new batteries in to no avail. I asked ChatGPT and it diagnosed that the pairing with the TV had gone wrong and it talked me through how to mend it - bingo! Where might I have turned otherwise?

I sometimes use it for poetry research or horticultural questions and it is very odd as it "speaks" as though it is human - e.g. "I really like x,y,z" - the programing is so very clever. You have to keep reminding yourself that it is artificial, whilst it is trying to convince you otherwise! However you can ask it not to do that and it will respond appropriately.

I can see how it might become addictive and confusing for some, especially the lonely.