5 ms·

100% shipped to show off to family during Christmas. I'll definitely give it a go, I wonder if this lands better with those aged 50+ who are more used to phone

by cco 2y ago

100% shipped to show off to family during Christmas. I'll definitely give it a go, I wonder if this lands better with those aged 50+ who are more used to phone calls rather than chat.

WhitneyLand 2y ago
So the perception of those aged 50+, is one of people so far removed from technology they’d prefer to use a telephone to avoid their discomfort with computers? I’m well into this group and still make a lot more api calls than phone calls. Fresh out of college I recall vividly thinking, I’ll need to build an impressive list of side projects to overcome preconceptions about how much I can truly offer at my age. Maybe nothing has changed.
- dingnuts 2y ago
  the idea that someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers is a horrifying and offensive stereotype that deeply worries me for my own future our industry is old enough that the first generation of pioneers has died of old age. Do you really think someone who grew up with computers in the 80s is incapable of using a smart phone? These are people who are still in the workforce today. These are your most skilled colleagues. Some of them probably designed the device you think they're too old to understand
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - ericd 2y ago
    I don't think anyone is denying the existence of Greybeards, it's more that the field has exploded so much in the meantime that the probability of a random 30 year old being in it is much higher than the probability of a random 50 year old.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    > someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers I know people who are in their 20s and 30s who seem to be uncomfortable with computers, cloud technology, and especially AI. In some ways I'm one of them. I will never let an always listening AI helper be in my home. And I'm <40.
    - xattt 2y ago
      That’s different. One is fear of the unknown, the other is a precautionary fear of what could be.
      - dylan604 2y ago
        Not really. A lot of people in their 20s might have never actually done much with a computer, yet they cannot put their phone down. I know lots of 20-somethings that cannot type. I know even more that do not own a traditional "computer". It has nothing to do with fear, but lack of need.
- bloomingkales 2y ago
  I had chatgpt read through my recent bloodwork results and helped me understand it better than my doctor. 50+ are going to be so addicted to this thing its not even funny. My parents are not reaching for AI immediately yet, but thats just a yet. This is the wave that could come at any moment.
- conductr 2y ago
  I think the SMS chat feature this enables is of more significance than the actual voice calling feature.
- hombre_fatal 2y ago
  My dad sells farming-related equipment to mostly older people and there are still people more comfortable giving him their credit card info over the phone instead of purchasing on his website online. (Though I see that as mostly a failure of our financial industry. Credit card numbers should be obsolete by now.)
- etbebl 2y ago
  Just one data point but my father is in his 70s and has never owned a smartphone, when he wants to Google something he goes to the computer in the basement. On the other hand there are landline extensions all over the house. So yeah it would be more convenient for people like him.
4ndrewl 2y ago
Sonny, people in their 50s were sending smileys on their Nokias before Zuck had even thought of Facebook...
- stevenj 2y ago
  Your comment made me lol. And it’s very rare for that to happen to me via reading text. And I needed it today. So I just wanted to tell you thank you and I hope you have a good day.
  - dantyti 2y ago
    > Your comment made me lol. And it’s very rare for that to happen to me via reading text. If anyone else reading this is in a place like you've described, try 1900hotdog.com
jph00 2y ago
Umm... do you actually know anyone 50+? You know, for instance, the co-authors of "AI: A Modern Approach" are both 50+?
- whimsicalism 2y ago
  ? why is the authorship of this book relevant
  - glenstein 2y ago
    Because it shows that it's perfectly plausible for people ages 50 plus to appreciate the value out of these technologies every bit as much as us whippersnappers. Some of them are writing books about it, after all
    - whimsicalism 2y ago
      those books are not really at all about the techniques used in llms
      - glenstein 2y ago
        You seem to have forgotten the context of this conversation. Right now we're talking about whether 50+ somethings can appreciate the value proposition of the 1-800 line and more generally of the whole line of GPT releases presently coming out. Pointing to the book authorship help support the intuition that our Gen X friends are able to get it, because after all, it's not out of the question for them to be involved in these very fields. I don't think any of those points, which again in this context are the points that are under discussion, are things that hinge on whether or not the book specifically addressed particular llm methodologies.
- TiredOfLife 2y ago
  There are cookbooks written by people that have never cooked a thing in their life.
swatcoder 2y ago
You're surely right that they anticipate it being be a novelty that people share during holiday visits. But as you can probably tell from the other replies, the idea that older people don't know how to use internet-era technology is a meme that was wearing thin 20 years ago already. People who haven't had ChatGPT "land" for them yet are likely just people who don't find themselves asking a lot of questions they need a chatbot to answer, regardless of the medium. That probably has some age skew right now, but isn't really about the medium at all.
- conductr 2y ago
  I’m a few years from 50 and while Google has deteriorated my Google fu and ability to see signals through the noise still serves me well enough and is my comfort zone. When I dabble with chatgpt it always feels like I’m playing with a toy as I don’t really have a use case I’m taking to it. I’ve used a few websites creators and code generators which have been useful but also I don’t think they saved me much time overall. Web design, graphic design, etc and creative stuff are things I suck creating so it gives me a new power and is easy to iterate on. Otherwise, I’ve not found much actual value from it yet. If it makes you much more efficient in your job, like it does for professional software devs, many of HN users, then i think you’re more apt to be excited by the tech
- TRiG_Ireland 2y ago
  I genuinely have never had the slightest inclination to ask a chatbot anything, ever. I do not understand how people find them useful.
mikesabat 2y ago
Aren't they doing a 12 days of Christmas thing where they release new features for 12 days? This would fit into that idea. I was thinking earlier today that an agent listening to my calls would be helpful. I was on the phone with a financial institution that will require some followup. Being able to sync in an agent to transcribe and remind me would be valuable. I understand this isn't that.

by cco 2y ago

100% shipped to show off to family during Christmas. I'll definitely give it a go, I wonder if this lands better with those aged 50+ who are more used to phone calls rather than chat.

WhitneyLand 2y ago

So the perception of those aged 50+, is one of people so far removed from technology they’d prefer to use a telephone to avoid their discomfort with computers? I’m well into this group and still make a lot more api calls than phone calls. Fresh out of college I recall vividly thinking, I’ll need to build an impressive list of side projects to overcome preconceptions about how much I can truly offer at my age. Maybe nothing has changed.

dingnuts 2y ago
the idea that someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers is a horrifying and offensive stereotype that deeply worries me for my own future our industry is old enough that the first generation of pioneers has died of old age. Do you really think someone who grew up with computers in the 80s is incapable of using a smart phone? These are people who are still in the workforce today. These are your most skilled colleagues. Some of them probably designed the device you think they're too old to understand
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- ericd 2y ago
  I don't think anyone is denying the existence of Greybeards, it's more that the field has exploded so much in the meantime that the probability of a random 30 year old being in it is much higher than the probability of a random 50 year old.
- vel0city 2y ago
  > someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers I know people who are in their 20s and 30s who seem to be uncomfortable with computers, cloud technology, and especially AI. In some ways I'm one of them. I will never let an always listening AI helper be in my home. And I'm <40.
  - xattt 2y ago
    That’s different. One is fear of the unknown, the other is a precautionary fear of what could be.
    - dylan604 2y ago
      Not really. A lot of people in their 20s might have never actually done much with a computer, yet they cannot put their phone down. I know lots of 20-somethings that cannot type. I know even more that do not own a traditional "computer". It has nothing to do with fear, but lack of need.
bloomingkales 2y ago
I had chatgpt read through my recent bloodwork results and helped me understand it better than my doctor. 50+ are going to be so addicted to this thing its not even funny. My parents are not reaching for AI immediately yet, but thats just a yet. This is the wave that could come at any moment.
conductr 2y ago
I think the SMS chat feature this enables is of more significance than the actual voice calling feature.
hombre_fatal 2y ago
My dad sells farming-related equipment to mostly older people and there are still people more comfortable giving him their credit card info over the phone instead of purchasing on his website online. (Though I see that as mostly a failure of our financial industry. Credit card numbers should be obsolete by now.)
etbebl 2y ago
Just one data point but my father is in his 70s and has never owned a smartphone, when he wants to Google something he goes to the computer in the basement. On the other hand there are landline extensions all over the house. So yeah it would be more convenient for people like him.

4ndrewl 2y ago

Sonny, people in their 50s were sending smileys on their Nokias before Zuck had even thought of Facebook...

stevenj 2y ago
Your comment made me lol. And it’s very rare for that to happen to me via reading text. And I needed it today. So I just wanted to tell you thank you and I hope you have a good day.
- dantyti 2y ago
  > Your comment made me lol. And it’s very rare for that to happen to me via reading text. If anyone else reading this is in a place like you've described, try 1900hotdog.com

jph00 2y ago

Umm... do you actually know anyone 50+? You know, for instance, the co-authors of "AI: A Modern Approach" are both 50+?

whimsicalism 2y ago
? why is the authorship of this book relevant
- glenstein 2y ago
  Because it shows that it's perfectly plausible for people ages 50 plus to appreciate the value out of these technologies every bit as much as us whippersnappers. Some of them are writing books about it, after all
  - whimsicalism 2y ago
    those books are not really at all about the techniques used in llms
    - glenstein 2y ago
      You seem to have forgotten the context of this conversation. Right now we're talking about whether 50+ somethings can appreciate the value proposition of the 1-800 line and more generally of the whole line of GPT releases presently coming out. Pointing to the book authorship help support the intuition that our Gen X friends are able to get it, because after all, it's not out of the question for them to be involved in these very fields. I don't think any of those points, which again in this context are the points that are under discussion, are things that hinge on whether or not the book specifically addressed particular llm methodologies.
TiredOfLife 2y ago
There are cookbooks written by people that have never cooked a thing in their life.

swatcoder 2y ago

You're surely right that they anticipate it being be a novelty that people share during holiday visits. But as you can probably tell from the other replies, the idea that older people don't know how to use internet-era technology is a meme that was wearing thin 20 years ago already. People who haven't had ChatGPT "land" for them yet are likely just people who don't find themselves asking a lot of questions they need a chatbot to answer, regardless of the medium. That probably has some age skew right now, but isn't really about the medium at all.

conductr 2y ago
I’m a few years from 50 and while Google has deteriorated my Google fu and ability to see signals through the noise still serves me well enough and is my comfort zone. When I dabble with chatgpt it always feels like I’m playing with a toy as I don’t really have a use case I’m taking to it. I’ve used a few websites creators and code generators which have been useful but also I don’t think they saved me much time overall. Web design, graphic design, etc and creative stuff are things I suck creating so it gives me a new power and is easy to iterate on. Otherwise, I’ve not found much actual value from it yet. If it makes you much more efficient in your job, like it does for professional software devs, many of HN users, then i think you’re more apt to be excited by the tech
TRiG_Ireland 2y ago
I genuinely have never had the slightest inclination to ask a chatbot anything, ever. I do not understand how people find them useful.

mikesabat 2y ago

Aren't they doing a 12 days of Christmas thing where they release new features for 12 days? This would fit into that idea. I was thinking earlier today that an agent listening to my calls would be helpful. I was on the phone with a financial institution that will require some followup. Being able to sync in an agent to transcribe and remind me would be valuable. I understand this isn't that.