4 ms·

At least the first 2 are far more accurate than humans ever could be. The third, i.e. trusting others to vet and find the correct information, is the problem.

hhh 2y ago
Why? We've done it for ages, most trust in Wikipedia, and before most trusted in encyclopedias. Books written by others have been used forever. We just shift where we place the trust over time.
- hyperbrainer 2y ago
  Agreed, but google hardly gives you those results. Sponsored Ads and AI generated seo crap is hardly an encylopedia.
- ClumsyPilot 2y ago
  I just googled ‘do I need a license to drive a power boat in UK’ I got AI answer saying ‘no’, but actually you do. If I use a calculator it will be correct. If I open encyclopaedia it will mostly be correct, because someone with a brain did at least 5 minutes of thining. We are not talking about some minor detail, AI makes colossal errors with great confidence and conviction.
  - pennaMan 2y ago
    Try that query in perplexity :) Spoilers: it gets it right and explains the nuances.
  - fullstackchris 2y ago
    But you're comparing apples to oranges anyway... a mathematical problem is vastly different than a q&a problem - which of course involves language which is anyway a lossy form of communication.
    - hyperbrainer 2y ago
      that is the point. google is not Multivac
ben_w 2y ago
Almost. GPS is great at knowing where you are, but directions are much much harder, and the extra difficulty is why the first version of Apple Maps was widely ridiculed. Even now, I find it's a mistake to just assume Google Maps can direct me around Berlin public transport better than my own local knowledge — sometimes it can, sometimes it can't. (But yes, a single original Pi Zero beats all humans combined at arithmetic even if all of us were at the level of the world record holder).
- DrammBA 2y ago
  When I visit a new city I trust google maps more than I trust myself with a paper map, it even knows all public transport routes and times, and can guide me through connecting different types of public transports (e.g.: bus + train) to get to my destination quicker/cheaper, that would take me and a paper map quite a bit longer to plan.
  - ben_w 2y ago
    I trust it in new places for the same reason. After I moved here and learned the system, I realised it had on my first trip directed me through a series of unnecessary train routes for a 5 minute walk. Last summer, when trying to find a specific named cafe a friend was at, Google Maps tried to have me walk 5 minutes to the train station behind me to catch the train to the stop in front of me to walk back to… the other side of the street because I hadn't recognised the sign. It's a great tool, fantastic even, but it still doesn't beat local knowledge. And very occasionally, invisibly unless you hit the edge, the map isn't correctly joined at the nodes and you can spot the mistake even as a first time visitor.
arkh 2y ago
> trusting others to vet and find the correct information, is the problem To be honest, we do for most things: I have not checked the speed of light. And I surely would not be able to implement a way to measure it from only my observations and experience.
- hyperbrainer 2y ago
  Agreed, but google hardly gives you those results. Sponsored Ads and AI generated seo crap is hardly an encylopedia

hhh 2y ago

Why? We've done it for ages, most trust in Wikipedia, and before most trusted in encyclopedias. Books written by others have been used forever. We just shift where we place the trust over time.

hyperbrainer 2y ago
Agreed, but google hardly gives you those results. Sponsored Ads and AI generated seo crap is hardly an encylopedia.
ClumsyPilot 2y ago
I just googled ‘do I need a license to drive a power boat in UK’ I got AI answer saying ‘no’, but actually you do. If I use a calculator it will be correct. If I open encyclopaedia it will mostly be correct, because someone with a brain did at least 5 minutes of thining. We are not talking about some minor detail, AI makes colossal errors with great confidence and conviction.
- pennaMan 2y ago
  Try that query in perplexity :) Spoilers: it gets it right and explains the nuances.
- fullstackchris 2y ago
  But you're comparing apples to oranges anyway... a mathematical problem is vastly different than a q&a problem - which of course involves language which is anyway a lossy form of communication.
  - hyperbrainer 2y ago
    that is the point. google is not Multivac

ben_w 2y ago

Almost. GPS is great at knowing where you are, but directions are much much harder, and the extra difficulty is why the first version of Apple Maps was widely ridiculed. Even now, I find it's a mistake to just assume Google Maps can direct me around Berlin public transport better than my own local knowledge — sometimes it can, sometimes it can't. (But yes, a single original Pi Zero beats all humans combined at arithmetic even if all of us were at the level of the world record holder).

DrammBA 2y ago
When I visit a new city I trust google maps more than I trust myself with a paper map, it even knows all public transport routes and times, and can guide me through connecting different types of public transports (e.g.: bus + train) to get to my destination quicker/cheaper, that would take me and a paper map quite a bit longer to plan.
- ben_w 2y ago
  I trust it in new places for the same reason. After I moved here and learned the system, I realised it had on my first trip directed me through a series of unnecessary train routes for a 5 minute walk. Last summer, when trying to find a specific named cafe a friend was at, Google Maps tried to have me walk 5 minutes to the train station behind me to catch the train to the stop in front of me to walk back to… the other side of the street because I hadn't recognised the sign. It's a great tool, fantastic even, but it still doesn't beat local knowledge. And very occasionally, invisibly unless you hit the edge, the map isn't correctly joined at the nodes and you can spot the mistake even as a first time visitor.

arkh 2y ago

> trusting others to vet and find the correct information, is the problem To be honest, we do for most things: I have not checked the speed of light. And I surely would not be able to implement a way to measure it from only my observations and experience.

hyperbrainer 2y ago
Agreed, but google hardly gives you those results. Sponsored Ads and AI generated seo crap is hardly an encylopedia