I have been using ChatGPT as a sort of medical/lifestyle partner/advisor for several months now. I created a project specifically for the purpose of sharing my vitals and other health related data, e.g. sleep patterns from my Apple watch, BP info from my weekly visits for Epoetin injections, weight and blood sugar measurements, as well as the results of blood tests, which Kaiser gives me access to.
When I arise in the morning, I get a nice graphical display of how much time I spend awake, in REM, in Core Sleep, and in Deep Sleep. All I do is take a screenshot from my phone and upload it to the project and it recognizes exactly what it is and incorporates the data into my overall health assessment.
Yesterday, I received the results from a CAT scan of my lungs. There was a plethora of medical terminology I am hardly familiar with. However, when I copied and pasted the results into my project, ChatGPT not only recognized what it was, but provided me with a layman’s analysis of each finding, the most important of which was the absence of cancer (whew!).
Anybody else using AI in a personally helpful way?
In early 2009 I was privileged to spend a weekend with Dr. Russell Ackoff thanks to a friend and former colleague. I recall one incident where, while we were at Russ’s home, I mentioned my belief there was a similarity between the philosophy of dialectical materialism and the concept of systems thinking. As I recall, he was pretty upset with me for saying this. It’s stuck with me over the years.
Thanks to another friend on Facebook, I now have access to a set of AI tools, one of which is Google’s Bard. The other day, in an effort to test drive it, I proposed the following task and received the following reply:
Me:
Compare the philosophy of dialectical materialism as expressed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to the concept of systems thinking as expressed by Russell Ackoff and others.
Bard:
Dialectical materialism
• Dialectical materialism is a materialist philosophy that emphasizes the role of conflict and change in history.
• It is based on the idea that the world is constantly changing and evolving, and that this change is driven by the conflict between opposing forces.
• These opposing forces can be social, economic, or political, and they can be found at all levels of society, from the individual to the global.
• Dialectical materialism is a dynamic and evolving philosophy that has been used to explain a wide range of historical events, from the French Revolution to the fall of the Soviet Union.
Systems thinking
• Systems thinking is a holistic approach to understanding the world that views it as a complex system of interacting parts.
• It is based on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that it is impossible to understand any part of a system without understanding the system as a whole.
• Systems thinking has been used to understand a wide range of problems, from environmental degradation to economic inequality.
Comparison
• Both dialectical materialism and systems thinking are complex and sophisticated philosophies that have been used to understand the world in different ways.
• Dialectical materialism is more focused on the role of conflict and change in history, while systems thinking is more focused on the holistic nature of the world.
• Both philosophies have their strengths and weaknesses, and they can be used to complement each other.
For example:
• Dialectical materialism can be used to explain how conflict between social classes leads to social change, while systems thinking can be used to understand how the different parts of a society interact with each other.
• By combining these two approaches, we can gain a more complete understanding of the world and how it works.
Not quite as in-depth as I would have liked, but it does kind of jive with my understanding of the overlap of the two outlooks.
I finally decided to give ChatGPT a test drive. I made the following request: “Write a 500 word blog post about why Gen Z should vote in every election.”
Here’s the response I received. The response is actually 523 words. Close enough:
“Gen Z, also known as the iGeneration or the post-Millennials, is the demographic cohort born between 1996 and 2010. As this generation begins to reach voting age, it is important for them to understand the importance of participating in every election.
“Voting is one of the most fundamental rights and responsibilities of citizenship. It is a way for individuals to have a say in the direction of their country and to hold elected officials accountable. By voting, Gen Z can shape the policies and laws that will affect their daily lives, from healthcare and education to the economy and the environment.
“One of the most compelling reasons for Gen Z to vote is that their generation is uniquely affected by many of the current political issues. Climate change, for example, is a pressing concern for Gen Z, as they will be living with the consequences of current environmental policies for much longer than older generations. Similarly, the high cost of education and the increasing burden of student loan debt disproportionately affects Gen Z. By voting, Gen Z can make their voices heard on these issues and push for policies that align with their values and interests.
“Another reason why Gen Z should vote is that their generation is one of the most diverse in history, with a wide range of perspectives and experiences. By participating in the democratic process, Gen Z can ensure that their diverse voices are represented in government and that policies reflect the needs and concerns of all members of society.
“Additionally, by voting, Gen Z can help shape the future of the country. The decisions made by today’s elected officials will have a lasting impact on the future, and it is important for Gen Z to have a say in that future. It is also important for Gen Z to vote to ensure the continuation of democracy, which is the foundation of our country and it is something that should be protected.
“It’s also worth noting that voting is not just a right but also a privilege in many countries. Many people have fought and continue to fight for the right to vote, and it is important to exercise that right in order to honor their sacrifices.
“However, it is important to note that voting is not the only way to make a difference. Gen Z can also get involved in other forms of civic engagement, such as volunteering, organizing, and advocacy. But voting is an essential part of the democratic process, and it is the most direct way to make an impact on government policies and elected officials.
“In conclusion, Gen Z should vote in every election because it is their right and responsibility as citizens to shape the direction of their country. By voting, Gen Z can have a say in the policies and laws that affect their lives, ensure that their diverse voices are represented in government, and help shape the future of the country. Furthermore, it’s a way to honor the sacrifices of those who fought for the right to vote. It is time for Gen Z to step up and make their voices heard.”
Whether
it is called Knowledge Management, knowledge sharing, intellectual capital
management, best practice management, the learning organization, or innovation
management, there are powerful reasons to learn about knowledge and the process
of communicating complex change and ideas in order to achieve rapid action in
their integration into the organization.
There
are also many reasons proposed for adopting a method of managing the growing
volume of information gathered and accessed by various organizations. While
these reasons are numerous and varied, they generally share some of the same
characteristics. This is true with respect to both governmental and commercial
organizations. Two disparate examples are the Directors of Information
Management of the United States Army on whose website appears a lengthy
presentation regarding Knowledge Management, and the Rochester, New York
SGML/XML (Structured General Markup Language/Extendable Markup Language) User’s
Group.
The
Army’s presentation speaks to two of the basic issues addressed by KM, viz. how
an organization can remain effective in the face of a diminished workforce, and
how that organization can provide some form of logical continuity to its
operations despite the possibility of frequent retirement and turnover.[1]
The
SGML/XML User’s Group addresses the same general problem the Army faces,
speaking in terms of “Leverag[ing] Work Already Done” and
“Stop[ping] Knowledge ‘Walking out of the door’ “.[2]
These are two of the most critical issues faced by all organizations today, and
have been a continuing problem, the solution of which may now be possible
through the use of new technology and new thinking. Much of the new technology
has become available recently due to the continuing growth and development of
the Worldwide Web and other forms of rapid communication and widespread
dissemination of information.
Examples
of tools which are commonly in use today, and which did not exist 5 – 10 years
ago, are search engines, data mining software, the development of portable data
format (pdf) and distillers, Internet and intranet portal sites, desktop
dashboards, and knowledge organizing agents.
There
are also two basic tracks, or methodologies, with which to approach the concept
of Knowledge Management. The first treats knowledge as an object which can be
identified and handled using information systems. These systems include
artificial intelligence, reengineering, and groupware, among others. The second
track looks at people and their management. To the people involved in this
track, knowledge is seen as processes to be changed and improved [3]
The
former is developing rapidly, as new technology comes on line, whether it be
faster processors, wireless communications, new forms of data storage and
retrieval, or new software for organizing and comprehending information and
data. The latter, however, is where the real developmental difficulty lies.
There are several problems inherent in teaching people new methods for
acquiring and, especially, for sharing knowledge.
Nevertheless,
companies like IBM and Lotus are investing a great deal of time and money in
supporting the move toward Knowledge Management. In a recently published paper,
these two organizations assert that “Knowledge Management will soon
pervade business practices in the same way that eBusiness pervades commerce.
Similar to eBusiness, this trend started out on the fringe of computing and
gained incremental credibility from the successes of early adopters.
“…
“Similar
to eBusiness, Knowledge Management will play a critical role in corporate
longevity and ultimately distinguish the winners from those companies that
merely survive. It will enable companies to apply their intangible assets, and
in the spirit of eBusiness, revolutionize the way they do business. In fact,
elements of Knowledge Management are already manifest in many successful
eBusiness practices such as electronic procurement where knowledge accelerates
and bolsters the entire procurement process.”[4]
The
number of organizations, including Universities around the world, which are
discussing, teaching, or extolling the virtues of Knowledge Management are too
numerous to chronicle in so short a paper. To emphasize the point, as of this
writing a search at http://www.altavista.com,
typed in as “why do we need knowledge management” (without the quote
marks surrounding the phrase) produces 1,274,124 pages or “hits”.
Of
those, only the first 200 are available, and my experience is that the last of
the pages will generally not be on point, that is their relationship to the
original search phrase will only be ancillary. In this case, the 198th
page is, although not responsive to the question “why do we need” it,
nevertheless directly on point regarding Knowledge Management. Furthermore, it
isn’t the website of some college kid who has a passing interest in the
subject, it is a page from the Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business
Innovation.[5]
Other
organizations whose sites appear in the first six pages of hits are Rutgers
University, Oklahoma State University, the Xerox Corporation, Compaq, and the
Anderson School of Business at UCLA. I believe it can be safely said that
Knowledge Management has come in from the fringe of computing, and is gaining
steam with every day.
[1] “Using
Knowledge Management for Mission Success“, [on-line
presentation] 1999 U. S. Army DOIM (Directors
of Information Management) Conference; available at http://doim.army.mil/dc99/presentations.htm; accessed 30 October 2000
[2] Jerry
Ulbricht, “Turning Information into Knowledge” [on-line
presentation]Rochester, New York SGML/XML
Users Group; available at <http://www.rnysxug.com/> (1999)
[5]
Cap
Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation, [on-line
business site] (last updated August 21, 2000); available at
http://www.businessinnovation.ey.com/
In the 2020 General Election, coming up waaaaay sooner than you think, time being what it is, there are eight (count ’em, eight) Republican Senators who are up for election unopposed. Actually, two of the eight are retiring but, in all cases, whether it’s a replacement or the incumbent, they’re all running unopposed. This is an intolerable situation, IMO.
Allowing any Republican, all (save for Justin Amash) of whom have shown themselves to be hapless sycophants, bowing to the whims of the most destructive and inhumane President in modern history, to run without any Democratic opposition is something we should avoid at all costs.
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana (In 2014 he beat three-term incumbent, Democrat Mary Landrieu, 56 percent to 44 percent. Don’t know if there are any Democrats in the running at present.)
Mike Enzi, Wyoming (Retiring – This seat is considered safe by most people.)
Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi (Hyde-Smith defeated Mike Espy last November in a racially charged campaign.)
James Inhofe, Oklahoma (This is the schmuck who brought a snowball into the Senate chambers to make the argument that global warming can’t be possible because it’s still cold somewhere.)
Pat Roberts, Kansas (Retiring – Maybe a lost cause, as he ran unopposed last time and Kansas is a deep red state)
Mike Rounds, South Dakota (The entire state has approximately a quarter of a million voters. Unknown if there are enough Democrats to matter.)
Ben Sasse, Nebraska (In the 2014 election, there were a little over a half million voters; Sasse won every county in the State – 64% to 31%)
Dan Sullivan, Alaska (In the 2014 election, Sullivan won by 2.2% with a total of only a little over a quarter million voters. This state could be ripe for a flip.)
After the 2016 General Election, I worked with a group of people who were creating a canvassing tool that was designed to use AI to better prepare people who were out knocking on doors. It would have used demographics and historical voting data to train a machine learning algorithm on the patterns to be found in the data. Unfortunately, our primary investor kept adding requirements and ultimately squeezed the value right out of the app.
Nevertheless, our original concept we had discussed was to use machine learning to help political organizations make the most effective (not merely efficient) use of their various resources, e.g. time, money, people, connections, as well as understanding the political environment based on polls and overall news coverage.
Frankly, nobody I know of has sat down and begun to develop such a decision model, though I would dearly love to see it happen. It’s what we envisioned after Trump “won” and I still think it’s a viable approach. It does look like it’s a somewhat daunting challenge, however, when it comes to how expensive it would be to gather all the data we’d need access to, as well as develop the algorithms that would analyze and correlate the data.
Regardless, it seems a shame so many Republicans might run without any Democratic opposition. You’d think the least we can do is make them fight for their seats, which would include forcing them to shift resources around as well. It should be part of the overall pattern of the elections, which I’m unconvinced the Democratic Party really understands.
I know it’s been quite a while since last I posted here. I’ve been continuously active on Facebook and have begun tweeting quite a bit as well, but that’s not why I haven’t posted to this blog in the past nearly three months. As of March 1 I began a new career, probably not the kind of thing you hear about 70-year-olds doing all that often. Since then I have been working as the Business Manager for Quantellia, LLC. You may recall I’ve done work for and with Quantellia on and off for the past six years.
Quantellia is a small AI/ML software development house and, until now, one of the co-founders has been running the business. Inasmuch as she is also the organization’s Chief Scientist, and a well-known pioneer in Machine Learning, this was not exactly the optimal thing for her to be doing. I had been touching on the subject and, since she was having such a hard time getting someone competent to run the business, I pressed my offer to do so. She finally relented and things have been going swimmingly, although there have been times I was swimming against the current. I’m definitely climbing a steep learning curve, which sometimes has me questioning if I’m losing my edge.
Actually, at times I can’t quite tell if my intellect is slipping a little bit, or if I just don’t care as much as I used to and I’m not quite as arrogantly sure of myself. My memory seems to be intact, along with my ability to learn and adapt. I’m going to go with the “I just don’t care as much about things as I used to; I’m more sanguine about life, work, and the need to control everything.
At any rate, I’m having a lot of fun. I was once partnered with two CPAs, doing royalty accounting for some big acts: Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Cars, Dollie Parton, Ronnie Milsap, The Commodores, even Jimi Hendrix’s estate. I learned a fair amount about accounting back then, and now I’m getting the opportunity to revisit what I learned, applying it in different circumstances. I’m also learning about artificial intelligence and machine learning, and hope to convey some of what’s going on in these fields. Although not a data scientist, I am quite capable of seeing where AI can be applied in business to assist with all kinds of issues. I’m sure you can as well.
Lately, I’ve been trying to use my iPhone’s voice recognition capabilities while in my car on the way to work. With the latest upgrade to iOS – I’m at 9.1 – you can now talk to your phone if it’s plugged into power, and I always plug mine into my car charger. All you have to do is say “Hey, Siri” and (most times) you’ll get a tone letting you know she’s listening. You can request music, ask for directions, record notes, tweets, and even Facebook posts. I mostly use it for playing music and recording thoughts I would never be able to remember or write down without pulling over to the side of the road. Although I have been known to do that, I don’t have to anymore. It’s not perfect, but it’s far and away a safer and easy-to-use method of remembering some things.
So, today I recorded a note on my way in. The only drawback is you have to speak fairly continuously. As soon as you pause for more than a couple of seconds, at most, Siri ends the task and reads the note back to you. I managed to make it through the thought I had with relative ease – my memory really ain’t what it used to be – and the playback was accurate enough to know I would be able to understand what I was thinking when I recorded it. As many of us are painfully aware, being able to understand what you were thinking when you were thinking of it later on when you read what you wrote about what you were thinking back then, is important to the efficacy of the effort.
On a whim, I said “Hey, Siri” and, upon hearing the familiar tone, “Thank you.” After a moment’s pause, she responded (in her Aussie accent) “You’re welcome.” Her tone was so upbeat it caused me to wonder if they don’t actually have the phrase recorded, or programmed, in several different intonations. I know we’re a long ways away from anything approaching sentient AI, but it was still oddly comforting, as well as a little weird . . . both the exchange and the reality I bothered to do it in the first place.
I know it’s been quite a while since last I posted here. I’ve been continuously active on Facebook and have begun tweeting quite a bit as well, but that’s not why I haven’t posted to this blog in the past nearly three months. As of March 1 I began a new career, probably not the kind of thing you hear about 70-year-olds doing all that often. Since then I have been working as the Business Manager for Quantellia, LLC. You may recall I’ve done work for and with Quantellia on and off for the past six years.
Systems Savvy 