Coming to terms with artificial intelligence
By David Ashton
Is anyone else out there like me – first being rather frightened of what artificial intelligence (AI) might do to the world, but later rather warily coming to terms with it, and then even rather enjoying some aspects of AI?
Take the AI app, ChatGPT. I have been using this app, through which you can ask literally anything and instantly receive a well-expressed and thought-out response. It’s unbelievable!
Now what I’m about to tell you will suggest I have too much time on my hands, and if so, I will have to live with that. Just for fun, I politely asked Chat GPT, ‘Please compose an alternative Australian national anthem to Advance Australia Fair.’ This is what it came up with INSTANTLY:
[Verse 1]
In the land down under, where dreams take flight,
With boundless plains and skies so bright,
We stand as one, in unity strong,
A nation proud, where we all belong.
[Chorus]
Advance Australia, with hearts aglow,
Our diverse land, where dreams can grow,
With courage, strength, and harmony rare,
Together we thrive, in beauty so fair.
[Verse 2]
From ancient cultures, to shores anew,
Respect and understanding, in all we do,
With sun-kissed beaches and forests grand,
Our precious home, in this southern land.
Another chorus and an outro, or concluding verse, followed. OK, this will never take the place of Advance Australia Fair, and it is rather clichéd, but remember it was the product of less than a second’s ‘thought’!
By now you’re probably wondering where this is going. Well, taking it a little further and trying to put things in some perspective, I asked ChatGPT: ‘What should be the aims of a good community garden in Victoria?’
She/he/it didn’t have to think long. The immediate response to my question was: ‘A good community garden in Victoria should aim to foster a sense of community, promote sustainable gardening practices, provide access to fresh produce, educate people about gardening and environmental stewardship, and contribute to local food security efforts.
‘In summary, a good community garden in Victoria may also aim to:
1. Promote health and wellbeing by encouraging physical activity and outdoor engagement.
2. Provide opportunities for intergenerational and multicultural interactions, fostering social cohesion.
3. Support local biodiversity by providing habitats for pollinators and native species.
4. Serve as an educational resource for sustainable agriculture, water conservation and biodiversity.
5. Reduce food miles and carbon footprint by producing food locally, thus promoting environmental sustainability.
6. Offer therapeutic benefits by connecting people with nature, and providing a space for relaxation and stress relief.
7. Empower individuals and communities by promoting self-sufficiency, food sovereignty and skills development in gardening and food production.’
Very well considered and interesting perspectives about community garden practices there, composed in a nanosecond, and coinciding with what our garden actually believes in, and does!
Whatever we may think of AI, as something to worry about or simply another amazing outcome of human ingenuity, it’s here to stay, and something we will learn to live with.