Yes, you can tell the current version of artificial intelligence to write a paper for you on just about any subject, and it will provide something for you. But it will most often look like it was written by a dull person, maybe even Spock-like. I will clue you students out there that most teachers now have an app to tell them the likelihood that the paper you submitted was generated by AI. So, if you try to have AI do your homework, don’t be surprised if you get an F for effort.

I admit that I use an AI tool to check for spelling and punctuation, but that is about it. The version of AI that I use can analyze what I type and recommend changes to make it “clearer”. The problem with “clearer” is that what comes out of AI is in no way in my style of writing. AI is a great tool for “helping” me, but it is no replacement for things “I” have to say, and sometimes what is suggested by AI doesn’t make much sense. An example of the limitations of AI brings up a recent story.

---

I ordered something from Amazon that was to be delivered by snail mail (aka USPS). Somehow, the package ended up with two different mailing labels. Eventually, snail mail figured it out, and I got the package 4 days later. But before I got it, Amazon AI let me know that my package may have been lost.

Being the nice guy that I am, I went to Amazon to let them know that I did receive the package. But, even after several go-arounds, I discovered that the returns/credit version of AI just didn’t understand what “received” meant. I eventually got connected with a real person…

---

Yes, AI can find some facts quickly, but don’t count on it for something that it was not programmed to do. Also be aware that conspiracy theories or long-outdated facts sometimes end up in its output. AI is not really one thing, since many companies are making their own versions of it.