Microsoft AI suggests Ottawa food bank as a “cannot miss” tourist spot
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
[0] My spouse is a social services worker who specializes in the homeless. She says having a phone is a priority among social services recipients, but they rarely have a data plan (which is very expensive in Ottawa) and rely on WiFi for everything.
It seems like non-locals would be unlikely to visit a food bank.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/a-man-walke...
He put 99 smart phones in a wagon with all of them running Google maps in drive mode. Google interpreted this as a traffic jam, and made other cars avoid the area.
Invisible-Roadblocks-as-a-Service courtesy of Google.
Absolutely.
Rich enclaves paying you to drive a bucket of cell phones around the neighborhood slowly in an electric golf cart.
Or simpler: The rich enclaves pay you to supply their existing private security cars/carts with buckets of charged phones to drive slowly around their existing routes.
Google Maps Hacks - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22216821 - Feb 2020 (382 comments)
A few days after the eclipse, we were driving through Custer State Park in South Dakota. There were relatively few cars on the road but Google Maps would inexplicably show these very short red traffic jams.
We quickly realized that we could anticipate upcoming bison sightings as people slowed down to take pictures of them walking (or sleeping) on the side of the road.
https://www.ottawafoodbank.ca/
I recently learned that a friend from high school passed away. I hadn't seen her in twenty years almost. She'd been living rough in Ottawa for a few years and the Ottawa food bank was almost certainly one of the groups that had been helping her out. I'm still trying to find out more about what happened with her, but in the meantime I'm making donations to organizations like this one in her name.
It’s okay to fall out of contact with people. You have no responsibility to keep up on every person you have ever been friends with. Some of my best friends are people that are busy living their own lives and then we find time for each other after a five year gap because we both happen to be in a city for work. Get some drinks and catch up. Don’t let people convince you you are supposed to keep tabs on everyone in your life at all times.
Edit: To people downvoting this comment, can you tell me why you disagree? I’m not against checking in on friends and supporting them in times of hardship, but I don’t think that anyone is obligated to take a roll call of their contacts every week/month. If you disagree, tell me why, please.
I can see a dystopian future where OpenAI / Bard generate revenue by tailoring the model's output to suit a client's message.
For instance I found out recently, if I search for Karigasniemi, Google recommends a site with the "top 10 hotels in Karigasniemi". It's a tiny, tiny border village in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say it doesn't have 10 hotels.
What a difference a decade earlier makes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9lObWclFQ
(if the writing is coherent, it's possible AI is doing the writing and ESL writers the prompting and stitching together...)
Could be outsourced articles with translation errors? I don't know. Or some custom made LLM.
The suggestion the AI makes to consider going into it on an empty stomach could help the tourist to empathise with others who are less fortunate, because those are people who feel hungry every day. (Although the suggestion does sound unfortunate on first impression.)
The model proposed to do something to empathize with X, but that doesn't imply that he commenter is seeing empathy from the model.
I think you misread the message above
I don't think a language model has empathy, but I think this suggestion can be good for the potential real-world consequences it may have and, if its suggestions are acted on, that might inspire empathy from the actors.
I think you're right that my interpretation/hope about the consequences are unlikely though.
It follows then that LLMs do in fact -express- empathy (as prose) even though they of course do not experience empathy as an emotion or as a call to action.
It’s important to remember that although LLMs do not have an emotional existence, they are portals through which we access a significant corpus of human knowledge, language, and culture. It follows that they will be capable and even adept at expressing elements of that knowledge, language, and culture - including parts we think of as emotionally driven.
sure, they might be right, but its kind of missing the point.
What's the worst this unaggressively-worded and unintended (unintended by those who deployed this LLM) suggestion will do? I would think most people would think "that's a weird suggestion" and move on after a moment's thought, continuing to do what they did before.
It's easy to say someone yelling will significantly aggravate others. I don't think that's the case here.
or just drop by to get some food. "unmissable" :)
Does Canada have something like Food Stamps/WIC?
Food is absurdly cheap, and not all food needs to be cooked/prepared.
Oh! That makes a bunch of sense. Good idea to have a food bank to get rid of aging food.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/08/13/good-samaritan-ac...
My guess is the strictness of the rules is driven by availability of resources and the level of need being met by the organization.
It takes time to access any of those benefits though, and there are still some that despite access to those struggle for whatever reason.
Food banks are not an exclusively Canadian thing - a lot of people in the U.K. have ended up depending on them as well.
There are plenty of people who have absurdly little money, and food is far from free. With children, shelter, a doctor bill and an inefficient vehicle to get to work, your minimum-wage little money can go to zero fast.
It’s not uncommon for something to cost 2-3x what it did 4 years ago, but the official figures on inflation are cooked to make it appear lower.
Searching on it a ton? Must be popular with locals! We should send tourists there!
It is not about empathy.
Rather, it is being treated as a highly rated restaurant that gives you a lot of food.
I have seen reviews of restaurants like buffets and other restaurants that give you a lot of food recommending you go there when you are really hungry.
the model is all over the place, there's no sensible link between first and second sentence, even if it were about a typical Restaurant, let alone a food bank.
personally, the 'cannot miss' part as tourist spot, doesn't ring alarm bells, since tourist are in spending-mood when on holiday, and seeking new experiences - every little helps.
It may be raising eyebrows because of a socio-psychological effect , such as caused by shame or embarrassment linked to such display of poverty.
The CFO of my regional food bank was a startup leader and angel investor, led many local social events, and brought hackathon projects that the food bank and other non profits in the area had.
If you told me that the Atlanta Community Food Bank warehouse was a cannot miss tourist destination, I might agree. Google would probably agree - after all I also like touring car factories and research centers.
Well "AI" might be further along than I thought, that's actually a good and creative suggestion.
> The article is credited to "Microsoft Travel," and it is likely the product of a large language model (LLM)
Can journalists not investigate claims before writing articles on them?
Yes, it's probably LLM-generated, but it wouldn't have been hard to find out and have facts in hand in the article.
They do. But this isn't journalism, it's Ars Technica; which is a great web site, but isn't any more "journalism" than Reddit.
Good travel blogs maintained by locals are immensely valuable. They usually have much better technical advice about local culture, airports, payment, SIM cards and that sort of thing.
If the locals have written any of that down or recorded it on video, the AI will have consumed it already.
AI content feels a lot like the copywritten content it replaces: a shallow repetition of what an actual expert wrote down.
I just stayed at an Airbnb in Crown Heights (Brooklyn) a week ago, and knowing nothing about the neighborhood but wanting to eat a meal there, found that Google Maps was a little overwhelming. It was nice to skim some articles that seemed human-curated; it at least gave me an idea about where the hotspots of the neighborhood are and what kind of cuisine I should be favoring.
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The places and attractions suggested in the article are genuine and well-known sites or events in Ottawa, making them suitable suggestions for visitors. Here's a summary:
The Winterlude Festival: An annual winter festival celebrated in Ottawa and Gatineau, known for its outdoor activities, ice sculptures, and skating on the Rideau Canal.
National War Memorial: A significant monument that commemorates Canadian military personnel who died in conflicts and wars.
Ottawa Food Bank: This suggestion is a bit unusual for a travel guide, as it focuses on a charitable organization rather than a typical tourist attraction. While the Ottawa Food Bank does vital work providing food to those in need, it might not be a standard tourist destination. This inclusion is what might be considered odd in the context of tourism.
Ottawa Senators Game: Attending a game of Ottawa's professional hockey team, the Senators, would be a great way to experience Canadian culture, especially given hockey's importance in the country.
ByWard Market: Mentioned in the introductory paragraph, the ByWard Market is a famous shopping district known for its food, boutiques, and nightlife.
Parliament Hill: Also mentioned earlier in the article, it's a central location for government and a popular spot for tourists interested in architecture, history, and politics.
Overall, the recommendations are generally appropriate for tourists, but the inclusion of the Ottawa Food Bank is an unconventional choice that doesn't align with traditional travel interests. If the intention was to suggest volunteer opportunities or engage with the community in a meaningful way, that context could have been provided to clarify the suggestion.
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User:
Is it poor taste?
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ChatGPT:
Including the Ottawa Food Bank in a travel guide without proper context can be considered in poor taste by some readers. While the work of food banks is vitally important and worth recognizing, presenting it alongside tourist attractions without explanation can seem incongruent.
If the intention was to encourage tourists to volunteer or donate, then providing that context would be essential to avoid confusion or the appearance of insensitivity. It could be seen as trivializing the serious issue of food insecurity by placing it in the same category as recreational activities and sightseeing spots.
In a travel guide aimed at promoting local engagement, cultural understanding, or community service, the inclusion of such a place might be fitting. However, in a typical travel article focused on entertainment and sightseeing, the lack of explanation about why the Food Bank is included might lead to misunderstanding and could be seen as lacking thoughtfulness in its presentation.
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User:
Why do you think AI did it?
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ChatGPT:
It's difficult to definitively say why an AI system would include the Ottawa Food Bank in a travel article without specific context, but there are a few possibilities:
Data-Driven Decision: AI models like this are trained on vast amounts of data. If the Ottawa Food Bank has been mentioned frequently in content related to Ottawa, the model might recognize it as something associated with the city. Without understanding the nuanced difference between a tourist attraction and a charitable organization, it could include the Food Bank as a point of interest.
Lack of Contextual Understanding: AI doesn't have personal experiences or deep understanding of human culture. It may not recognize that including a food bank in a travel guide might be considered inappropriate or in poor taste by some readers. It sees patterns and relationships in the data but doesn't always understand the deeper cultural context.
Keyword Confusion: The model may have associated keywords like "Ottawa" and "food" and made a connection to the Ottawa Food Bank. Without a deeper understanding of the context, it might include it as a place of interest related to food in Ottawa.
Intended Theme Miscommunication: If the model was provided with instructions to write about places in Ottawa without specific guidance on the type of places (e.g., tourist attractions, historical sites), it might include various notable locations, including charitable organizations.
Random Error or Anomaly: It could simply be a mistake or anomaly in the model's output. AI models, especially when generating creative or complex content, can sometimes produce unexpected or inexplicable results.
It's essential to recognize that AI doesn't "think" or have intentions in the way humans do. It makes decisions based on patterns and relationships in the data it has been trained on, and those decisions can sometimes lead to odd or unexpected results. Proper guidance, context, and post-generation editing by human experts can help mitigate these issues.
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User:
Is there a case to be made that AI wanted people to learn about poor conditions some people live in?
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ChatGPT:
AI doesn't have intentions, desires, or awareness, so it doesn't "want" anything in the way humans do. It operates based on algorithms and data, without consciousness or motivation.
However, the inclusion of the Ottawa Food Bank in the article could lead to a positive outcome if readers are encouraged to learn more about food insecurity and the work that food banks do to support those in need. This might be an unintended consequence rather than something the AI aimed to achieve.
A human editor or writer who noticed the inclusion of the Ottawa Food Bank might choose to frame it in a way that educates readers about these issues. For example, they might include a section in the travel guide about local volunteer opportunities or ways to support the community while visiting. In that context, the inclusion of the Ottawa Food Bank would make sense and could be seen as a valuable addition to the article.
In summary, while the AI itself doesn't have the capacity to want people to learn about poor conditions, the content it generated could be used by human interpreters to raise awareness about these issues if framed appropriately.
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User:
Why does it say to "Consider going into it on an empty stomach."
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ChatGPT:
The phrase "Consider going into it on an empty stomach" in the context of the Ottawa Food Bank section appears to be an attempt to evoke empathy and understanding for the experience of hunger. It seems to be a rhetorical device meant to help the reader imagine what life might be like for those who rely on the food bank's services.
However, without proper context or framing, the sentence can come across as awkward or misplaced in the article. The transition from describing a tourist attraction to a serious reflection on hunger can be jarring, especially in a travel guide that generally focuses on entertainment and sightseeing.
It is not uncommon for writing, whether generated by humans or AI, to include metaphors or rhetorical devices that are meant to be thought-provoking. In this case, the phrase may have been included to provoke thought, but without careful handling, it may also create confusion or appear to be in poor taste.
The oddity of this inclusion might stem from the lack of clear intention or understanding on the part of the AI, which doesn't have a conscious understanding of tone, context, or the emotional impact of words. Human editing and oversight can help align the content more closely with the intended audience and purpose.