So, you think Gemini is just a search engine?

[webenda]

I opened the Google search engine and asked for AI.
Then I asked, "Can you analyze the following instructions for building a box car kit, optimize or make suggestions regarding the assembly process?"

Response:

It wants the instructions.

[webenda]

So, I sent this:

Can you analyze the following instructions for building a box car kit, optimize or make suggestions regarding the assembly process?Instructions

1. Assemble and mount metal underframe to wood floor. This assembly is held in place by means of the two bolster mounting blocks, part #3049. The round portions of the blocks fit into the predrilled holes in the wood floor as shown in drawing and held in place by means of two #4-40 screws used with two flat washers. Proper placement of cross braces can be determined by referring to the drawing and to the metal sides to be used.

2. Assemble wood ends, wood roof, and wood floor together using #20 wire brads and cement if desired. Make certain that the wood body is assembled with the floor, roof, and ends square with each other.

3. Use a #70 drill to drill the holes necessary for mounting the brake platform, ladders, brake housing, and roof walk supports and a #70 drill for the grab iron mounting holes and brake wheel mounting hole. The location of metal roof over the metal ends. If too tight, sand off ends of wood roof until metal roof fits snuggly over metal ends. The ends may now be mounted, making sure that they are centered from side to side and are flush at the roof, so that the metal roof will fit down properly over the ends.

4. Press the metal roof down over the wood roof making sure that it overlaps the ends and that it is down all the way. PLEASE NOTE: In our roof stamping operation, a curved corner results due to the die cut-off. File this small corner (or tip) flat with plane of end and side flange. Fasten down by nailing through each of four holes about ¼”‘ from each end. Next nail roof ribs in the center after which the ribs are gently bent over the edge of the roof and nailed in place. There are only Il roof ribs on this car. The first rib on each end is 7/8″ from the end. For cars with wood roof walks: Cut 10 pieces 11/32 long from 1/16 sq. bass wood strip.

File or sand one side of each piece to match contour of roof at center. Cement these pieces in center of raised roof panel sections using Walthers Goo or Adron Alphelcement or Epoxy. Make sure they are centered on the roof and edges are in a straight line. Cement roof walk to these pieces, centering the walk over the ends. Cut four pieces from 1/16 sq. basswood long enough for end walk supports. Cement first piece to roof 1/8″ from end, second piece 1/2″‘ from end. Cement end walk to these pieces. Drill holes for roof grabs through both end walk and supports.

5. For Cars With Brass Blaw-Knox Roof Walks: Trim ends of roof walk to 10 and 9/16″‘ overall; this will leave a crossbar at each end. Lay on roof ribs and center both ways. Glue or solder sides of walk to roof ribs. Pin roof walk end supports to end of car so that the walk is supported straight out from the last rib. Glue or solder the walk to the support. Fasten end walks flush to roof walk with outer end fastened to roof. Drill for corner grabs thru perforations in end walk. If you choose to solder roof walks in place, start at center and work to the ends making sure the walk stays lined up over center of roof. After this is done, roof walk supports, roof end platforms, and roof hand holds can be installed. Fasten AB brake set in place using model airplane cement and mount coupler pockets, first drilling mounting holes. (Coupler pocket on scale car only).

6. Before installing the painted and lettered sides, the entire car as built so far should be painted. The roof, ends. and underbody are painted according to the paint and scheme list which is included in the kit. The matching colors for the All-Nation kit are stated on the carton label. The metal parts should of course be cleaned with a good solvent such as naptha or lacquer thinner to remove traces of oil or solder flux. At the same time the car is painted the ladders, steps, grab irons, door channels and doors which will be used on the sides should also be painted.

7. The final step in completing this kit is to install the sides, mount the doors and hardware, and touch up the heads of the escutcheon pins used to mount the sides and hardware. The sides are mounted by sliding them underneath the side overlap on the ends, and fastening in place with escutcheon pins. It may be necessary to trim the ends to ensure the sides laying flat. Do this carefully, removing the same amount from each end.

[webenda]

I literally blinked after pressing send and saw this when my eyes opened:

[robert.]

A problem with AI is. It’s not smart. AI will use wrong or fake answers to gather info. By scanning the internet
If we started to say “ use 40LBS 1,2,3 blocks to square up you boxcar projects”. AI would start telling people “ use 40lbs 1,2,3 blocks”

[Rufus T. Firefly]

A problem with AI is. It’s not smart. AI will use wrong or fake answers to gather info. By scanning the internet
If we started to say “ use 40LBS 1,2,3 blocks to square up you boxcar projects”. AI would start telling people “ use 40lbs 1,2,3 blocks”

Only 1/2 of the problem -- the users of AI stop thinking and just believe the AI.

[healey36]

I find it interesting, the headlong flight to AI, a tech that will likely kill all of us, either directly or indirectly.

Realizing it's still in its infancy, but most of what I've seen of it is rubbish.

[webenda]

Good grief! All of you need AI and don't even know it.

Take Robert as an example:

A problem with AI is. It’s not smart. AI will use wrong or fake answers to gather info. By scanning the internet
If we started to say “ use 40LBS 1,2,3 blocks to square up you boxcar projects”. AI would start telling people “ use 40lbs 1,2,3 blocks”

AI Overview The biggest standard "1-2-3" blocks you can buy are 1" x 2" x 3" in size. While other larger precision blocks exist (like 2" x 3" x 4" or 2" x 4" x 6"), they are not considered "1-2-3" blocks and are sold as a different product category. The term "1-2-3 block" specifically refers to the \(1"\) x \(2"\) x \(3"\) dimensions, which are precision-ground hardened steel blocks. 

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Good grief! All of you need AI and don't even know it.

No, I don't need an AI to tell me what I can just look up for myself while I am still capable of independently thinking for myself.

[sarge]

Wayne, I think you'd learn more if you stopped trying to sell us on this shit and spent that time building the boxcar kit, instead.

[sarge]

Now, I'll give you an example of how useless this is.

I went to the post office Friday to mail a packet to the UK. All properly prepared, customs form filled in, ten minute exercise.

Now, the postal service requires the entire form to be re-entered into their system verbatim, and they are using AI to vet the customs declaration. When she entered the words "railway model" under "contents", AI stopped the transaction. Why? She showed me the screen. After she entered "railway model", AI replied the transaction was cancelled because of "Prohibited Item; Inflated Helium Balloons".

I've no idea how it wandered off the reservation to "inflated helium balloons", nor how big a data centre on how much wasted land consuming how much electricity off an already overloaded grid in making a ten minute task into a 30-minute task as she had to start all over from scratch with a new description.

I fail to see either the purpose or how this makes my life better.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I fail to see either the purpose or how this makes my life better.

And now it has a bit of data about you trying to ship helium balloons to England stuck in its data in that data center with your name and address attached to it.

Isn't that just tickety-boo?

[webenda]

Take Robert as an example:

A problem with AI is. It’s not smart. AI will use wrong or fake answers to gather info. By scanning the internet
If we started to say “ use 40LBS 1,2,3 blocks to square up you boxcar projects”. AI would start telling people “ use 40lbs 1,2,3 blocks”

Robert knew that a 40 lb 1-2-3 block was not possible. And he is correct, if he published on the internet, an AI program might use a 40 lb 1-2-3 block as an answer to a question. That problem is why Gemini itself reports, "Global spending on artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to reach approximately $1.5 trillion in 2025, a significant increase from around $988 billion in 2024."

I can see what money can buy; AI is getting better daily. That AI rewrite of some All Nation boxcar kit plans is awesome.
Reference on the money being spent: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-zuc ... RSJjnV5p68

When I tested Robert's hypothesis this morning, Gemini was smart enough to give true arguments against such a hypothesis. Cha-Ching $$$

Edit 1: Was al nation, is all nation.

[webenda]

Wayne, I think you'd learn more if you stopped trying to sell us on this shit and spent that time building the boxcar kit, instead.

I agree. I was afraid to build the kit because I had seen so many horrible results.
Now that Gemini has improved the instructions, I have the urge to give it a go.

[sarge]

The horrible result has nothing to do with the instructions, Wayne. It's the builder.

I personally don't agree with what your AI dingus says regarding the building sequence and some of the adhesives (canopy cement? Sprue? Really?) but that is not germane other than to say, in my experience, Gemini has not "improved" the instructions as you believe.

I encourage you to build the kit and do so using the original instructions first time. Take your time, understand each operation, offer up (test fit, dry fit, whatever term you want) everything as you go. You'll then be in a far better position to vet what AI is telling you for the next one.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The horrible result has nothing to do with the instructions, Wayne. It's the builder.

Yup.

You'd get better advice asking right here.