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> I have ZERO doubt that if you put people that haven't used a computer in front of one ... presented with a chatbox in the middle of the screen and you just as

> I have ZERO doubt that if you put people that haven't used a computer in front of one ... presented with a chatbox in the middle of the screen and you just ask the computer what you want I am 99.99% sure that everyone would prefer to use that chatbox I don't know. We've been telling ourselves things like that about user interfaces for a long time. For decades, it was pretty much universally understood that everyone would prefer to talk to their computer instead of using a keyboard. Now that you can, no one really wants to. In fact, now that we can text / email / IM other people, we don't talk to them as much as before. One obvious problem with the interface you're proposing is that sometimes, it's easier to do the thing than to explain precisely what you want. For example, it takes much longer to ask ChatGPT what's the weather forecast for this week, and then read the flowery response, than to press Ctrl-N, "wea", enter, and see it at a glance in a consistent format with pictograms.

himata4113 6mo ago
You already know how to use a computer or a phone, but take someone who has never seen or used a smartphone, computer or a laptop. I think the story will be very different.
- chromacity 6mo ago
  I don't know. In a vacuum, if we prevent them from ever finding out that there's a faster way with less cognitive overhead? Sure. Until they have to explain to an agent precisely which shoes they want the AI agent to buy them... In any case, in practice, people pick up stuff from each other. I'm old enough that learning to use the computer mouse needed to be a deliberate effort on my end. I never really had to "teach" that to my kids, they just picked it up naturally. So you might even have a difficulty producing that "computer-naive" subject in the first place.
  - pixl97 6mo ago
    > I never really had to "teach" that to my kids, It's better to look at these things statistically rather than anecdotally. And statistically the Xennial group seems to have the highest penetration of computer skills, even more so than the generations that followed them. Simply put the new tablet generation is more apt to use apps and not understand the premises of how they work. If you find yourself going to an actual computer to make 'large' purchases you're part of a group that is not growing in size.

himata4113 6mo ago

You already know how to use a computer or a phone, but take someone who has never seen or used a smartphone, computer or a laptop. I think the story will be very different.

chromacity 6mo ago
I don't know. In a vacuum, if we prevent them from ever finding out that there's a faster way with less cognitive overhead? Sure. Until they have to explain to an agent precisely which shoes they want the AI agent to buy them... In any case, in practice, people pick up stuff from each other. I'm old enough that learning to use the computer mouse needed to be a deliberate effort on my end. I never really had to "teach" that to my kids, they just picked it up naturally. So you might even have a difficulty producing that "computer-naive" subject in the first place.
- pixl97 6mo ago
  > I never really had to "teach" that to my kids, It's better to look at these things statistically rather than anecdotally. And statistically the Xennial group seems to have the highest penetration of computer skills, even more so than the generations that followed them. Simply put the new tablet generation is more apt to use apps and not understand the premises of how they work. If you find yourself going to an actual computer to make 'large' purchases you're part of a group that is not growing in size.