4 ms·

Next you'll tell me I shouldn't use a calculator, or a computer at all. The conceptual level at which I work benefits massively from the recent developments in

Next you'll tell me I shouldn't use a calculator, or a computer at all. The conceptual level at which I work benefits massively from the recent developments in LLMs, and to stop training myself for the new meta means to drastically fall behind and possibly miss my goals. There is absolutely no reason not to evolve alongside this new technology.

slikrick 3y ago
the fact you even think they are comparable to a calculator is scary. they're not in any way comparable.
- soulofmischief 3y ago
  Can you please elaborate?
  - Alifatisk 3y ago
    chatGPT is a service. A calculator is hardware.
  - JTyQZSnP3cQGa8B 3y ago
    ChatGPT is the black box that is pushing the buttons of the calculator for you. You don’t learn maths or programming with this service. If the calculator is broken, I can still work slowly but I understand what I do. Without experience, you can’t understand what the black box is giving you.
    - soulofmischief 3y ago
      You're just projecting your own ignorance on the process. I constantly learn new maths or programming while working alongside LLMs. They increase and augment my experience, they don't subtract from it. You need a developed strategy when it comes to work and research, and if you already have a good one, adding GPT as a resource only helps you.
onemoresoop 3y ago
The calculator is not a service but a tool. Until LLMS don't become just a tool don't rely on them too much or expect it be broken and have a workaround for that.
- soulofmischief 3y ago
  I have backup local LLMs which I used during the outage. This doesn't prevent the fact that for now, ChatGPT-4 wins out in output quality. This won't remain true for long and so it is actually harmful to my career to not invest time learning how to use these tools now, instead of waiting for the time when they are perfect.
Jevon23 3y ago
>The conceptual level at which I work Oh come off it lol
- soulofmischief 3y ago
  Don't misinterpret me. I'm not claiming superiority in any sense, I'm describing that my type of work is conceptual.
danjoredd 3y ago
Imagine that the calculator breaks, and you need to do some quick math. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Cell Phones and such.) It is good to know how to do math without a calculator for those edge cases where one is not available, or when you can't do the equations that you need with it. Calculators are good. Calculators are useful. Calculators accelerate your workflow beyond what your ancestors could do. Not knowing how to do math without one is still a hindrance, hence why we still need math classes. You need to know the underlying theory of why the calculators do what they do in order for them to be useful. It's the same with ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a fantastic tool that can benefit your workflow. I use it all the time myself. However, being 100% dependent on it for work is a dangerous game. If it goes down(like today) or the company behind it makes a change that makes it less useful, you still need to know how to do your job without it. That's why OP's comment is worrying. They said that they feel unable to work without it. It reminds me of that Avengers quote: "If you are nothing without the Iron Man suit, you shouldn't have it."
- soulofmischief 3y ago
  The point of my previous comment was that the kind of work I do is not "quick math" and taking GPT out of the equations reduces my velocity by magnitudes. Calculators aren't going to disappear and no astrophysicist is going to do massive multi-dimensional calculations by hand. > If you are nothing without the Iron Man suit, you shouldn't have it. It's a nice thought, but I can apply this chain of reasoning to no end of technologies without which scientific progress in a given domain would entirely halt.
  - danjoredd 3y ago
    > Taking GPT out of the equations reduces my velocity by magnitudes. But you should still know how to do it regardless. Because of situations like this. That is the point of my comment. If you can't do your job without ChatGPT, you don't have any business working in your field to begin with. Even if it's at a reduced speed, you still need to know how to do your job. >It's a nice thought, but I can apply this chain of reasoning to no end of technologies without which scientific progress in a given domain would entirely halt. Not really. To do advanced stuff you have to understand the basics. This goes for almost every field. You can't build the next-level Javascript app without knowing what an if-else does. You can't be a doctor without knowing a little chemistry and biology. Even in a job like construction, you need to be able to do simple math to make sure your measurements are correct. Saying that advanced tools should be used for things like programming without understanding the basics is a logical fallacy. It's the same argument that managers sometimes use. You know, the "programmers only copy and paste from stack overflow. Why do we pay you so much?" Asking chatGPT for code means nothing if you don't know how to apply it and search for bugs. And to use code from ChatGPT, you need to know how to do your job without it. Otherwise, you will only produce code that, at best, sucks and, at worst, doesn't work.
Alifatisk 3y ago
These tools should be an extension of you, not a reliance. See, I’d still be able to do my math without a calculator (to some extent) Your comment above sounds like you get paralyzed when ClosedAi (OpenAi)s service have outage. Why would you want to depend on a private corporation to this extent? It blows my mind!
dingus9001 3y ago
At least calculators don't give you plain wrong information
quickthrower2 3y ago
If your calculator breaks, it isn't hard to buy a new one, or borrow one, or revert to pen/paper.

slikrick 3y ago

the fact you even think they are comparable to a calculator is scary. they're not in any way comparable.

soulofmischief 3y ago
Can you please elaborate?
- Alifatisk 3y ago
  chatGPT is a service. A calculator is hardware.
- JTyQZSnP3cQGa8B 3y ago
  ChatGPT is the black box that is pushing the buttons of the calculator for you. You don’t learn maths or programming with this service. If the calculator is broken, I can still work slowly but I understand what I do. Without experience, you can’t understand what the black box is giving you.
  - soulofmischief 3y ago
    You're just projecting your own ignorance on the process. I constantly learn new maths or programming while working alongside LLMs. They increase and augment my experience, they don't subtract from it. You need a developed strategy when it comes to work and research, and if you already have a good one, adding GPT as a resource only helps you.

onemoresoop 3y ago

The calculator is not a service but a tool. Until LLMS don't become just a tool don't rely on them too much or expect it be broken and have a workaround for that.

soulofmischief 3y ago
I have backup local LLMs which I used during the outage. This doesn't prevent the fact that for now, ChatGPT-4 wins out in output quality. This won't remain true for long and so it is actually harmful to my career to not invest time learning how to use these tools now, instead of waiting for the time when they are perfect.

Jevon23 3y ago

>The conceptual level at which I work Oh come off it lol

soulofmischief 3y ago
Don't misinterpret me. I'm not claiming superiority in any sense, I'm describing that my type of work is conceptual.

danjoredd 3y ago

Imagine that the calculator breaks, and you need to do some quick math. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Cell Phones and such.) It is good to know how to do math without a calculator for those edge cases where one is not available, or when you can't do the equations that you need with it. Calculators are good. Calculators are useful. Calculators accelerate your workflow beyond what your ancestors could do. Not knowing how to do math without one is still a hindrance, hence why we still need math classes. You need to know the underlying theory of why the calculators do what they do in order for them to be useful. It's the same with ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a fantastic tool that can benefit your workflow. I use it all the time myself. However, being 100% dependent on it for work is a dangerous game. If it goes down(like today) or the company behind it makes a change that makes it less useful, you still need to know how to do your job without it. That's why OP's comment is worrying. They said that they feel unable to work without it. It reminds me of that Avengers quote: "If you are nothing without the Iron Man suit, you shouldn't have it."

soulofmischief 3y ago
The point of my previous comment was that the kind of work I do is not "quick math" and taking GPT out of the equations reduces my velocity by magnitudes. Calculators aren't going to disappear and no astrophysicist is going to do massive multi-dimensional calculations by hand. > If you are nothing without the Iron Man suit, you shouldn't have it. It's a nice thought, but I can apply this chain of reasoning to no end of technologies without which scientific progress in a given domain would entirely halt.
- danjoredd 3y ago
  > Taking GPT out of the equations reduces my velocity by magnitudes. But you should still know how to do it regardless. Because of situations like this. That is the point of my comment. If you can't do your job without ChatGPT, you don't have any business working in your field to begin with. Even if it's at a reduced speed, you still need to know how to do your job. >It's a nice thought, but I can apply this chain of reasoning to no end of technologies without which scientific progress in a given domain would entirely halt. Not really. To do advanced stuff you have to understand the basics. This goes for almost every field. You can't build the next-level Javascript app without knowing what an if-else does. You can't be a doctor without knowing a little chemistry and biology. Even in a job like construction, you need to be able to do simple math to make sure your measurements are correct. Saying that advanced tools should be used for things like programming without understanding the basics is a logical fallacy. It's the same argument that managers sometimes use. You know, the "programmers only copy and paste from stack overflow. Why do we pay you so much?" Asking chatGPT for code means nothing if you don't know how to apply it and search for bugs. And to use code from ChatGPT, you need to know how to do your job without it. Otherwise, you will only produce code that, at best, sucks and, at worst, doesn't work.

Alifatisk 3y ago

These tools should be an extension of you, not a reliance. See, I’d still be able to do my math without a calculator (to some extent) Your comment above sounds like you get paralyzed when ClosedAi (OpenAi)s service have outage. Why would you want to depend on a private corporation to this extent? It blows my mind!

dingus9001 3y ago

At least calculators don't give you plain wrong information

quickthrower2 3y ago

If your calculator breaks, it isn't hard to buy a new one, or borrow one, or revert to pen/paper.