Very insightful.  I think you could probably write a paper on this topic. Regards, George Toft On 12/11/2023 1:40 PM, David Schwartz via PLUG-discuss wrote: > >> On Dec 11, 2023, at 6:09 AM, Keith Smith via PLUG-discuss >> wrote: >> >> I see AI being a windfall in the near term.  Example would be an >> affiliate marketer could use AI to write articles for his/her blog. >> The article wold need to be rewritten, however it would be so much >> faster and potentially more comprehensive,  If one can teach AL >> modern SEO then that person could rock!! >> > > It’s already nearly impossible to find anything useful on Google due > to abuse of tricks people use to get their web pages found by the > search engines, and there are plenty of tools that are teaching people > how to do this using AI tools like ChatGPT already that are only going > to make it a couple orders of magnitude worse. > > I’m in a class now that teaches a different approach that also uses AI > for content, but it feeds the search engines what they’re looking for, > not the same crap everybody else is feeding them, and it works really > well. It looks similar to SEO, but it takes a totally different > approach. It’s a manual method of finding keywords, with AI used to > help write content. If AI could be trained to do the whole process, > then they’d use it for that as well, but I don’t see that as something > we’ll see anytime soon. > > Suffice it to say it’s a process that looks for what’s missing, which > isn’t something automation is very good at — you’d end up with a huge > list of pretty much irrelevant stuff, or random selections from such a > list. It takes a little work to figure it out yourself. I have no idea > how you’d train an AI to do it. > > There seems to be plenty of people using AI to create windfalls by > cranking out content in seconds that historically has required weeks > or months or longer for people to do. What it’s doing is putting > ghostwriters out of business, and increasing demand for editors. > > I watched a video about a 20 yo kid who has been using ChatGPT to > crank out books in a particular niche for about 18 months. He has > created a particular brand and creates books under that brand, and has > published several hundred now. He says he’s already made over $1M, and > can sell his biz for at least that much. Of course, he teaches a class > on how to do it. The ultimate outcome here is the same as with SEO: > markets are going to be flooded with generic material and it will be > impossible to find anything specific to your needs. > > I’m working on an app that generates personalized Guided Meditations > (GMs). It does NOT use AI because AI isn’t needed, but that doesn’t > stop people from telling me it’s a fool’s errand because there are > already thousands of GM apps on the market, the vast majority of which > are free. There’s a simple reason for this: every course on app > development typically includes an exercise to build a virtual MP3 > player. So people build it, then think, “Ahh, I can use this to load > up meditations and then offer it up as a meditation app!” Another > exercise lets you build a recorder app that creates … yes, you guessed > it … MP3 files. > > Last count there were over 6000 of these “meditation apps” aka > “virtual iPods” loaded up with prerecorded personal meditations, and > over half were from people in India. So what you have is a market > flooded with generic GMs by people who aren’t very well-trained at > creating them, about topics that are of interest to those individuals, > and no way to search them for specific attributes. They started out > simply as a programming exercise, but the collective effect is an > entire market niche flooded with content and no way to search for > anything specific. This is not an “AI problem” but a scalibility > problem. Maybe we can use AI to fix it, but I think that’s a waste of > resources with very little return. > > The problem with flooding the market with stuff like this, be it web > pages, books, meditation apps, videos, or whatever, is that there’s > nothing in place to help you sift through these huge haystacks for a > few needles that represent the intersection of qualities YOU ARE MOST > INTERESTED IN. This is the same problem that’s affecting Google > because of SEO. It will inevitably lead to the same problems in any > market that has been flooded with content — there’s no way to find > stuff quickly and efficiently that fits your needs other than building > a “better search engine”, right? > > What we’re doing is building huge digital garbage dumps and telling > people looking for specific things, “Hey, dig away!” > > SEO has broken the internet, and AI will only make things worse. It’s > a HUGE garbage dump or warehouse, and nobody has the time nor the > interest to waste trying to find specific things buried there. > > But what if it was quicker to just create what you need in 5 minutes > instead of searching for it in a huge warehouse? > > Here’s the thing I see this situation inevitably leading to: people > who love to read will soon be able to go to something like a vending > machine where you give it a few details about yourself and what you > like and dislike, push a button, and it generates a personalized > eBook, meditation, video, or whatever you want, tailored just for you. > It’s a one-off thing and yours to do what you want with it. Why not > clothing? Or blog entries? > > People keep speaking of this in terms of ways to replace what people > are already doing. But these approaches are limited by our current > abilities and resources. That’s not very useful and it’s not where AI > is going to really shine. Why use AI to create more of the same > garbage that nobody can find? Google has lost its ability to find > stuff, and has turned into a way of generating money simply from > people searching for stuff that’s getting harder and harder to find, > making their search sessions longer and hence generating more profits > for Google. At some point, people will realize it’s a huge waste of time! > > What people are missing about the value of AI is that it’s going to > allow the large-scale creation of PERSONALIZED CONTENT. > > This is the beginning of mass customization and personalization of > virtually everything! > > The digital world will be first, and before long it will lead to using > 3D printing to create personalized physical stuff as well. > > For example, I have arthritis in my thumbs, and it makes it hard to > pick up normal drinking glasses. I prefer those with a handle, but I > like one that’s big enough to fit my four fingers in so I don’t need > to use my thumb for leverage. Lots of mugs have small handles on them > that are hard to get even two fingers into. Some are larger, and some > handle shapes work better than others. > > However, consumers are stuck buying things that the manufacturers have > decided to make based on a lot of criteria that have nothing to do > with you or me. But we might want a specific configuration. So why not > be able to order glasses and mugs with a specific design, including a > handle that fits what fits us best? Or no handle at all? > > See how this starts to shift the whole world of mass marketing to > personalized made-on-demand goods and services? AI will help with some > of it, and isn’t needed for a lot either. But given our current ways > of doing things in the world, it’s impossible — so nobody is doing it. > No jobs will be “lost” with this new approach to personalized stuff. > In fact, lots of new jobs will be created. > > In the broader scheme of things, think of the publishing biz as a way > to create personalized “fantasy novels” or even movies that cater to > an individual's quirks. Who’s doing this now? NOBODY! Entirely new > jobs will be created! > > This is basically why Blockbuster went bust — because their business > model was to set up big warehouses in different places around town and > people would go in and browse for what they wanted. Netflix came along > and let you browse on the web from home or the office, and they > delivered your order to your door — a more personalized offering. Now > you can browse and click a button and start watching what you want > instantly. Netflix still exists, but they don’t ship out disks in the > mail any more. > > From another angle, consider something where you take a test on some > topic and then you’re given a lesson (or series of them) designed to > not just reinforce what you already know, but with additional material > that you’re weak in or is the “next step” in your training. If you > have consistent trouble with particular topics, it will give you more > exercises in those areas and provide additional help where it’s > needed. It would work more like a personal tutor than a teacher > presenting material based on a one-size-fits-all classroom setting. > > This is creating a totally new realm that is far too inefficient and > expensive for any individual to do. No jobs will be lost because > nobody is doing it now, nor can anybody do it on any sort of scale. > > The jobs that will be lost are the ones that are doing repetative jobs > making or doing the same things over and over again — jobs that do not > lend themselves to personalized or customized products. Sure, there > are lots of jobs like that, but so what? Automation is already > eliminating a lot of them, not AI. And there will always be a market > for "jellybeans”. > > Consider a future where most of what you can buy online is > personalized to your specific needs. Not like ordering a pair of shoes > or clothing from a preset list of sizing options, but where you enter > your physical measurements and other details and get something that > fits like a glove made just for you. Now extend this to most other > things you consume or use regularly, especially those that “don’t > quite fit”. > > -David Schwartz > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list:PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss