5 ms·

Maybe I don't understand exactly what you're describing but why would anyone pay for this? When I bring home the shopping I just... chuck stuff in the cupboards

by camjw 2y ago

Maybe I don't understand exactly what you're describing but why would anyone pay for this? When I bring home the shopping I just... chuck stuff in the cupboards. I already know where it all goes. Maybe you can explain more?

bear141 2y ago
Maybe some people just assume there is a “best” or “optimal” way to do everything and AI will tell us what that is. Some things are just preference and I don’t mind the tiny amount of energy that goes into doing small things the way I like.
jayd16 2y ago
Maybe they're imagining more complex tasks like working on an engine.
loudmax 2y ago
One use case I imagine is skilled workmanship. For example, putting on a pair of AR glasses and having the equivalent of an experienced plumber telling me exactly where to look for that leak and how to fix it. Or how to replace my brake pads or install a new kitchen sink. When I hire a plumber or a mechanic or an electrician, I'm not just paying for muscle. Most of the value these professionals bring is experience and understanding. If a video-capable AI model is able to assume that experience, then either I can do the job myself or hire some 20 year old kid at roughly minimum wage. If capabilities like this come about, it will be very disruptive, for better and for worse.
- semi-extrinsic 2y ago
  This is called "watching YouTube tutorials". We've had it for decades.
  - rolisz 2y ago
    But what if there's no YouTube tutorial for the exact AC unit you have and it doesn't look like any of the videos you checked out?
    - cess11 2y ago
      Have you met people that seem to be able to fix almost anything? If you can't get a tutorial on your exact case you learn about the problem domain and intuit from there. Usually it works out if you're careful, unlike software.
    - semi-extrinsic 2y ago
      Then you are equally fucked as the AI will be, so no difference. Case in point, I remember about ten years ago our washing machine started making noise from the drum bearing. Found a Youtube tutorial for bearing replacement on the exact same model, but 3 years older. Followed it just fine until it was time to split the drum. Then it turned out that in the newer units like mine, some rent-seeking MBA fuckers had decided more profits could be had if they plastic welded shut the entire drum assembly. Which was then a $300 replacement part for a $400 machine. An AI doesn't help with this type of shit. It can't know the unknown.
      - deepGem 2y ago
        But once it knows it’s pretty certain to become common knowledge almost instantaneously. That’s not possible now. What you learn stays localised to you and may be people 1 degree away from you that’s it.
        semi-extrinsic 2y ago
        How does that work? None of the current AI models can re-train on the fly. How would the inference engine even know if it's a case of new information that needs to be fed back, or just a user that's not following instructions correctly?
        deepGem 2y ago
- hulahoof 2y ago
  Sounds like what Hololens was designed to solve, more in the AR space than AI though
__MatrixMan__ 2y ago
It would be nice to be able to select a recipe and have it populate your shopping list based on what is currently in your cupboards. If you just chuck stuff in the cupboards then you have to be home to know what they contain. Or you could wear it while you cook and it could give you nutrition information for whatever it is you cooked. Armed with that it could make recommendations about what nutrients you're likely deficient in based on your recent meals and suggest recipes to remedy the gap--recipes based on what it knows is already in the cupboard.
- gopher_space 2y ago
  Maybe I’m showing my age, but isn’t this a home ec class?
  - __MatrixMan__ 2y ago
    I took home ec in 2001. I learned to use a sewing machine, it was great. But none of the kitchen stuff we learned had anything to do with ensuring that this week's shopping list ensures that you'll get enough zinc next week, or the kind of prep that uses the other half of yesterday's cauliflower in tomorrow's dinner so that it doesn't go bad. These aren't hard problems to solve if you've got time to plan, but they are hard to solve if you are currently at the grocery store and can't remember that you've got a half a cauliflower that needs an associated recipe.
- mistercheph 2y ago
  [flagged]
SoftTalker 2y ago
Yes it's pretty amazing how so many people seem to overcomplicate simple household tasks by introducing unnecessary technology.
luma 2y ago
> why would anyone pay for this? Presumably, they won't as this is still a tech demo. One can take this simple demonstration and think about some future use cases that aren't too different. How far away is something that'll do the dishes, cook a meal, or fold the laundry, etc? That's a very different value prop, and one that might attract a few buyers.
- Philip-J-Fry 2y ago
  The person you're replying to is referring to the GP. The GP asks for an AI that tells them where to put their shopping. Why would anyone pay for THAT? Since we already know where everything goes without needing an AI to tell us. An AI isn't going to speed that up.

by camjw 2y ago

bear141 2y ago

Maybe some people just assume there is a “best” or “optimal” way to do everything and AI will tell us what that is. Some things are just preference and I don’t mind the tiny amount of energy that goes into doing small things the way I like.

jayd16 2y ago

Maybe they're imagining more complex tasks like working on an engine.

loudmax 2y ago

One use case I imagine is skilled workmanship. For example, putting on a pair of AR glasses and having the equivalent of an experienced plumber telling me exactly where to look for that leak and how to fix it. Or how to replace my brake pads or install a new kitchen sink. When I hire a plumber or a mechanic or an electrician, I'm not just paying for muscle. Most of the value these professionals bring is experience and understanding. If a video-capable AI model is able to assume that experience, then either I can do the job myself or hire some 20 year old kid at roughly minimum wage. If capabilities like this come about, it will be very disruptive, for better and for worse.

semi-extrinsic 2y ago
This is called "watching YouTube tutorials". We've had it for decades.
- rolisz 2y ago
  But what if there's no YouTube tutorial for the exact AC unit you have and it doesn't look like any of the videos you checked out?
  - cess11 2y ago
    Have you met people that seem to be able to fix almost anything? If you can't get a tutorial on your exact case you learn about the problem domain and intuit from there. Usually it works out if you're careful, unlike software.
  - semi-extrinsic 2y ago
    Then you are equally fucked as the AI will be, so no difference. Case in point, I remember about ten years ago our washing machine started making noise from the drum bearing. Found a Youtube tutorial for bearing replacement on the exact same model, but 3 years older. Followed it just fine until it was time to split the drum. Then it turned out that in the newer units like mine, some rent-seeking MBA fuckers had decided more profits could be had if they plastic welded shut the entire drum assembly. Which was then a $300 replacement part for a $400 machine. An AI doesn't help with this type of shit. It can't know the unknown.
    - deepGem 2y ago
      But once it knows it’s pretty certain to become common knowledge almost instantaneously. That’s not possible now. What you learn stays localised to you and may be people 1 degree away from you that’s it.
      - semi-extrinsic 2y ago
        How does that work? None of the current AI models can re-train on the fly. How would the inference engine even know if it's a case of new information that needs to be fed back, or just a user that's not following instructions correctly?
        deepGem 2y ago
hulahoof 2y ago
Sounds like what Hololens was designed to solve, more in the AR space than AI though

__MatrixMan__ 2y ago

It would be nice to be able to select a recipe and have it populate your shopping list based on what is currently in your cupboards. If you just chuck stuff in the cupboards then you have to be home to know what they contain. Or you could wear it while you cook and it could give you nutrition information for whatever it is you cooked. Armed with that it could make recommendations about what nutrients you're likely deficient in based on your recent meals and suggest recipes to remedy the gap--recipes based on what it knows is already in the cupboard.

gopher_space 2y ago
Maybe I’m showing my age, but isn’t this a home ec class?
- __MatrixMan__ 2y ago
  I took home ec in 2001. I learned to use a sewing machine, it was great. But none of the kitchen stuff we learned had anything to do with ensuring that this week's shopping list ensures that you'll get enough zinc next week, or the kind of prep that uses the other half of yesterday's cauliflower in tomorrow's dinner so that it doesn't go bad. These aren't hard problems to solve if you've got time to plan, but they are hard to solve if you are currently at the grocery store and can't remember that you've got a half a cauliflower that needs an associated recipe.
mistercheph 2y ago
[flagged]

SoftTalker 2y ago

Yes it's pretty amazing how so many people seem to overcomplicate simple household tasks by introducing unnecessary technology.

luma 2y ago

> why would anyone pay for this? Presumably, they won't as this is still a tech demo. One can take this simple demonstration and think about some future use cases that aren't too different. How far away is something that'll do the dishes, cook a meal, or fold the laundry, etc? That's a very different value prop, and one that might attract a few buyers.

Philip-J-Fry 2y ago
The person you're replying to is referring to the GP. The GP asks for an AI that tells them where to put their shopping. Why would anyone pay for THAT? Since we already know where everything goes without needing an AI to tell us. An AI isn't going to speed that up.