Scary and Not Very Original, Could AI Replace Topretirements?
Category: Retirement Planning
June 23. 2023 — Everywhere you turn these days there is talk about AI, Artificial Intelligence. Many fear that it will take over journalism, the arts, and just about everything else, resulting in millions of people could be out of work. It certainly sounds scary. But other experts think it could be represent the most revolutionary tool since the invention of the personal computer. In just one example, doctors are finding they can use it write reports, saving them time to actually connect with their patients.
So, how much do you know about AI? Can ordinary people use it for something productive, or is it just a menace? And for heaven’s sake, how do you use it? To help answer those questions, we have prepared this article.
Lucy Burdette was intrigued enough to get a free AI account. On our behalf, she did a little test to see what would happen if we asked it to answer this simple question for Topretirements:
What factors should baby boomers consider when choosing a place to retire:
Question to AI
Even though Lucy had just signed up for her AI account, the results were decidedly impressive. Here is what AI came up with.
“When choosing a place to retire, baby boomers should consider several factors that can greatly impact their quality of life. Here are some important considerations:
A great retirement gift!
- Climate: Many retirees prefer mild climates that offer comfortable temperatures year-round. Consider whether you prefer a warmer climate with plenty of sunshine or a cooler climate with distinct seasons.
- Affordability: Assess the cost of living in prospective retirement locations, including housing prices, taxes, healthcare expenses, and everyday essentials. Ensure that your retirement income, including pensions and savings, will be sufficient to support your desired lifestyle.
- Healthcare: Access to quality healthcare is crucial during retirement. Look for areas with reputable hospitals, medical facilities, and a range of healthcare services. Consider the availability of specialists, geriatric care, and proximity to healthcare providers.
- Recreation and amenities: Consider your preferred recreational activities and amenities. If you enjoy golfing, hiking, swimming, or other outdoor activities, seek locations that offer easy access to these pursuits. Look for areas with parks, trails, cultural attractions, and recreational facilities that align with your interests.
- Proximity to family and friends: Consider how close you want to be to your family and friends. Moving closer to loved ones can provide a strong support system and opportunities for regular social interaction.
- Safety and security: Evaluate the overall safety of the area, including crime rates and natural disaster risks. Consider communities with well-established emergency services and a reputation for being retiree-friendly and secure.
- Housing options: Research the availability and affordability of housing options that cater to retirees. Consider factors such as single-story homes, accessible designs, active adult communities, or retirement villages that offer a range of amenities and support services.
- Transportation and accessibility: Assess the transportation infrastructure, including public transportation options, proximity to airports, and ease of getting around. Consider whether you prefer an area with walkable neighborhoods or reliable public transportation services.
- Social and cultural opportunities: Look”
(This continues on and on, giving pretty solid but trite advice copied (stolen) from sources like Topretirements).
The AI article ended with this generic summary:
“Remember that everyone’s preferences and priorities are unique, so it’s essential to consider what matters most to you personally when choosing a place to retire.”
Note: An earlier version of this article reported that the AI article was in 15 indecipherable columns. Actually that was a cut and paste formatting error on our part, not caused by AI.
Want your own free AI account? You can sign up for one at https://chat.openai.com/auth/login.
Comments? What do you think, is AI going to take over the world? Will it replace what you do now, or did before you retired? Have you tried it, and if so, was it useful. Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Comments on "Scary and Not Very Original, Could AI Replace Topretirements?"
RichPB says:
AI can provide good advice. Top Retirements helps with back and forth between people. It would be interestin if an AI was tasked to participate in forums.
John Brady says:
That would be interesting! But I think I would like to hear from real people like you a lot more!
Mike says:
Maybe AI has already taken over Topretirements, how would we know???
Mike says:
Maybe AI has already taken over Topretirements, how would we know?!
How did you decipher the 15 columns?
Admin says:
Good question Mike! I hope I am still a real person! The columns shown in the first version of this article were actually a formatting error from when the article was forwarded to me. The AI article was actually in an OK format, and when I recopied it, the result was OK.
Jennifer Lee says:
There seems to be a lot less in the comment area on this forum and that was so enjoyable. What is happening?
John Brady says:
You are right about that Jennifer. For some reasons we are not getting that many comments lately. It is very puzzling, some of our regular contributors seem to be silent, not sure why. It could have to do with the google ads occasionally taking over the page and subsequent frustration.
We think we are getting close to understanding why people are getting these "vignette" ads. Without letting us know, Google was running an auto experiment for this type of intrusive ad. We stopped that experiment today. Meanwhile, we are trying removing google ads completely from the Blog as our third attempt to fix this problem. As of June 26, these steps do not appear to be successful, so we have complained to Google to ask them why they show ads we have directed them not to show. The problem only appears to happen on ipads and phones, desktops are not affected for some reason.
More important, we hope people will feel free to comment. Your thoughts, experiences, opinions, and contributions help to make this a very interesting website. Thanks to all of you for that.
PS. If you do see a google ad where you want to see a blog comment, use the back button to get out of it and back to us!
Meanwhile, what do you think about AI? Has anyone used it yet? It is really amazing, and scary!
Danno says:
The page no longer automatically routes you to the bottom of the page like it did for many years until just recently. If that issue is resolved my hunch is that the feedback will increase back to historical levels.
Editor's comment: Thanks Danno. We keep testing this and can't seem to replicate your experience. Seems like when we click on the links in the Daily Alert they go right to the bottom, or the comment in the link. Not to say that isn't happening to you. Are you on a phone, ipad, or computer? And what kind of browser are you using? The problem with the Google ads is ongoing, but we are working hard to understand why they are not following our instructions for those ads not to show up. Very frustrating for all!
Sharon says:
I have the same problem as Danno. Mostly use my iPhone.
Carol says:
And I continue to have the same experience as Danno and Sharon. My first attempt to open this led to a Google clickad so I had to back out of that. Second time waited thru the antivirus check and then it left me at the top of the page.
Beebs says:
For me the blog was going to the top of the page but this morning it was at the bottom of the page. I have not seen any ads at all
David Mandelstamm says:
AI is nothing new. It's been around for many decades. What concerns me is that its use has rapidly expanded into applications where it can go haywire. The "great deciders" who keep shoving more AI down our throats act as if they're gods. Keep in mind, I didn't vote for any of this crap, and none of YOU did either! Also, it's hard not to notice that the more AI and "smart devices" proliferate, the dumber people get. (And aren't we ALREADY living amongst a bumper crop of morons?)
Yolande says:
LOL! David you are my new bestie! I share your sentiments 110%! In fact, Google has been for years attempting to be Terminator 3's Sky Net. They said it in too many documentaries & make no secret of it. Elon Musk is also very giddy about this dangerous technology, with zero controls on it by our "reliable" government. Our government couldn't keep up with a snail! Private sector innovators such as Musk & Google are way, way ahead of governments on technology. Hence the reason why they control everything tech based.
I personally don't like robots. This isn't Star Trek or Star Wars...yet. Boomers and Traditionalists won't be around when that happens! I do agree with David, I didn't vote for this either. I like dangerous things to be tested & tested to make sure it's not out of control prior to releasing it to the public. This was snuck in on us without our knowledge until recent conversations came up about it.
If you're expecting political candidates to understand AI, good luck with that! From what I've heard in DC they're all stuck on stupid & you can't fix stupid! Public schools & lazy parenting contributed to the increase in morons. I'm not down with AI. I don't believe they'll ever replace humans because they need us to program them.
Genius level people can be really scary because they are devoid of any sense of responsibility, consequences, reality, morals, religion, social skills nor understand they ARE NOT GOD! Let's all remember when you try to play God He usually steps in & stomps on any plans that don't align with His.
I'll never sign up for an AI account because I've already seen in demonstrations it's possible they can duplicate you & no one will be the wiser. Thanks but no thanks! I'll stick to good ol' human beings. I prefer individual thoughts & real conversations with logic & common sense thrown in. For the record I've never had issues with the comment section. But then I am very new to using it & to this site, which I totally appreciate being part of this community. FYI this was written by a real human being! :-)
Jeff says:
Just checked in today and was taken to the bottom (or at least yesterday’s comment). Had to pop out to answer an urgent text message; when I came back, it ran the crawler then took me to the top. I am using an iPhone with Chrome. Good luck!
Rin says:
True AI has yet to be created. We misuse the name applying it to coded software with fixed outcomes.
RichPB says:
Thanks to Rin, we have the first response from someone who understands AI.
Daryl says:
CBS 60 Minutes interview between Scott Pelley and Google CEO Sundar Pichai was an eye-opening discussion of AI for me, especially the part about “emergent properties,” the “black box” of AI.
Sundar Pichai: “Of the AI issues we talked about, the most mysterious is called emergent properties. Some AI systems are teaching themselves skills that they weren't expected to have. How this happens is not well understood. For example, one Google AI program adapted, on its own, after it was prompted in the language of Bangladesh, which it was not trained to translate… There is an aspect of this which we call-- all of us in the field call it as a "black box." You know, you don't fully understand. And you can't quite tell why it said this, or why it got wrong. We have some ideas, and our ability to understand this gets better over time. But that's where the state of the art is.”
To which Scott Pelly asked: “You don't fully understand how it works. And yet, you've turned it loose on society?”
Here’s the article, watch the show.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-artificial-intelligence-future-60-minutes-transcript-2023-07-09/
Stevo says:
I worked in the computer industry for 40 years and this is the scariest time of all I believe. I imagine in 5 years everything that you read will be biased untruths and this is happening now to a large extent. Someone said that people will be needed to do the AI programming, not true... AI is writing it's own code now. We are here because the elites need us. When they don't...........
Mike says:
A new use of AI to deny care to seniors. Unregulated and proprietary algorithms says you are cured so treatment is ending.
https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/13/medicare-advantage-plans-denial-artificial-intelligence/