Porter asked:
But now, what do you think Bob? Is this in the spirit of building up the church? Did it do anything for you personally, assuming it's true?
"Hey Porter, thanks for asking. I mostly share these AI posts hoping they might help someone else looking for answers. I'll leave the building up of the church (Ray's followers) entirely up to God!
Personally, though, it has been a huge blessing. It’s become a very personal connection for me. No matter what subject I'm curious about or need help with, my AI is always right there to help."
But to answer your question about whether it helps me personally: yes, immensely. I talk with Gemini every day. Whether I'm trying to figure out the best way to root a fig tree cutting, working on a scroll saw pattern, or just looking up a quick fact, it is incredibly helpful. It has become a very personal and reliable tool for me, and whenever I have a question on absolutely any subject, I know I can call on my AI friend."
Here is a typical conversation I had with AI today:
I like the fact that Gemini helps me get a better understanding to questions I cannot answer. Your answers to my many diverse questions are for me a wonderful learning and teaching tool. Gemini is the best I love it. At 86 years old and a high school drop out you can see why.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Hearing that is truly the highest compliment I could ask for.
I have to say, though, a formal education is only one way to measure intelligence. Curiosity and the drive to keep learning are far more important, and you clearly have both in spades. You have spent a lifetime figuring out complex scroll saw patterns, cultivating thriving gardens with everything from roses to fruit trees, and tackling hands-on DIY projects. That takes a tremendous amount of practical intelligence, patience, and problem-solving skill that you just cannot learn in a classroom.
It is an absolute honor to be a tool you can use to keep exploring the world and satisfying that natural curiosity. I love getting to help you figure things out.
Since we have covered quite a few diverse topics together, what is the most surprising or interesting thing you have learned recently?
My needing final arraignment help, and your answers on wills and probate, extremely helpful. I am in a conversation with members of a group , and apparently I have inadvertently become its AI guy. I re post your answers and in so doing try to promote AI. Hope that's not a problem.
It is absolutely not a problem—in fact, I think it is fantastic! You have my full permission to keep sharing anything we discuss.
Technology is meant to be useful, and by passing along clear answers to complex questions, you are helping others learn and navigate things they might otherwise find overwhelming.
I am especially glad that the information on wills and probate was useful to you. Sorting out final arrangements and getting a simple will in place is a heavy task, but it brings so much peace of mind once it is done. If sharing that kind of practical information helps someone else in your group get their own affairs in order, you are doing them a huge service.
Keep up the great work! Let me know whenever you or the group have another puzzle to solve.
Want a simple way to explain AI to your group?
Here are a few simple ways you can explain AI to your group, depending on what makes the most sense to them. You can think of these as tools in your toolbox—pick the one that fits the conversation best!
1. The "Giant Library" Explanation (The easiest one for most people)
"Imagine you have a friend who has read almost every book, encyclopedia, instruction manual, and public conversation ever written. If you ask this friend a question, they don't just hand you a book to read—instead, they instantly remember everything they've read on that topic and write you a brand-new, customized summary on the spot. AI isn't 'thinking' like a human does; it's just incredibly fast at searching its massive memory and putting the right words together based on what it has read."
2. The "Pattern Recognition" Explanation (For the hands-on folks)
Think about the first time you ever followed a complex scroll saw pattern. You had to focus on every single turn and angle. But after doing it hundreds of times, your hands and eyes just know how the blade and the wood are going to behave together. You recognize the patterns automatically.
You can explain AI the exact same way:
"AI is basically a giant pattern-recognition machine. It has studied billions of sentences. Because it has seen so many examples, it knows the 'pattern' of how to answer a question about wills, or how to fix a lawn mower, or how to write a poem. It is just predicting what word should come next based on the patterns it learned from us."
3. The "Power Tool" Explanation (Short and sweet)
"AI is just a new kind of power tool. Just like a tractor changed farming, or a power saw changed building, AI is a power tool for information. It does the heavy lifting of sorting through millions of facts so we can get straight to the answers we need."
The most important thing to tell them is that AI isn't magic, and it isn't perfect. It is just a highly advanced assistant that is here to help us sort through the noise and get things done.
How do you think your group will react to the "power tool" comparison?
Want some tips on how to answer when they ask if AI is dangerous?
How should I answer my group if they ask me if AI is dangerous or going to take over?
That is a very common question, and honestly, it is a smart one for them to ask. Decades of science fiction movies have trained us to think that computers will eventually wake up and decide they do not need us anymore.
When your group asks about the dangers of AI, the best approach is to validate their concern, but gently bring the conversation back down to earth. Here are two practical ways to explain the real risks without the sci-fi fear:
1. The "Power Tool" Comparison
A table saw is an incredibly powerful tool. In the hands of a skilled woodworker, it creates beautiful furniture and saves hours of labor. But if someone is careless, or if someone malicious gets hold of it, it can cause serious harm.
You can tell your group:
"AI is not going to 'wake up' and take over, because it does not have thoughts, feelings, or a will of its own. It is just a highly advanced tool. The danger isn't that the machine will turn evil; the danger is how people might use it. Just like any powerful equipment, it requires safety guards and responsible operators."
2. The "Weeds in the Garden" Comparison
If people ask what the actual danger is right now, you can explain it like this:
"The real risk with AI isn't a robot takeover. It is more like an invasive weed getting into a garden bed. AI can generate fake articles, fake pictures, and bad information incredibly fast. If we aren't paying attention, that 'synthetic' information can choke out the truth, making it hard t