Examples of Artificial Stupidity

[AG31]

I like to call the current proliferation of LLM sites AS (artificial stupidity). Please give us your examples. Here's mine.

Google's AI summary. (Same result when I repeated it a day later.)

Prompt: What is the etymology of the word "vagina?"

Result: The word "vagina" originates from the Latin word "vagina ," which means "sheath" or "scabbard." This is because the vagina is a muscular tube that encloses and protects the female reproductive organs.

 

[iwatchus]

I usually refer to this generation of AI as Mansplaining as a service

 

[TheLobster]

I usually refer to this generation of AI as Mansplaining as a service

I.e., providing explanations that haven't been asked for but are nonetheless usually correct?

That's... pretty much the opposite to what LLMs do.

 

[iwatchus]

I.e., providing explanations that haven't been asked for but are nonetheless usually correct?

That's... pretty much the opposite to what LLMs do.

I always expect mainsplained explanations to be comically incorrect, a truth which is painfully obvious to everyone except the male ego preferring the "fact".

You are right that at least LLM's are asked for their opinion. But I am seeing them foisted on me more and more often when I want none of it.

 

[AG31]

You are right that at least LLM's are asked for their opinion. But I am seeing them foisted on me more and more often when I want none of it.

I researched how to get Windows Co-Pilot out of my sight. But the stuff I found didn't match my current interface, and some of it involved editing the registry. I'm considering paying someone to get it out of Outlook and Word.

What's with the swirly lines that show up before Outlook or Google search get fully opened. What are they doing?

 

[iwatchus]

I researched how to get Windows Co-Pilot out of my sight. But the stuff I found didn't match my current interface, and some of it involved editing the registry. I'm considering paying someone to get it out of Outlook and Word.

What's with the swirly lines that show up before Outlook or Google search get fully opened. What are they doing?

Sorry, I can't help you there. I have managed to almost completely avoid the MS universe.

 

[NotWise]

I like to call the current proliferation of LLM sites AS (artificial stupidity). Please give us your examples. Here's mine.

Google's AI summary. (Same result when I repeated it a day later.)

Prompt: What is the etymology of the word "vagina?"

Result: The word "vagina" originates from the Latin word "vagina ," which means "sheath" or "scabbard." This is because the vagina is a muscular tube that encloses and protects the female reproductive organs.

It must be mansplaining, because I'm a guy and I don't know what you're complaining about. Is it that it provided you with a definition of "vagina" that you didn't ask for?

You did get me a little curious about where the latin word vāgīna came from. I learned three things quickly: The AI I tried wanted to define English "vagina," which I did not ask for; all useful Latin etymologies are behind paywalls, which may explain why the AI couldn't tell me the etymology of the latin word vāgīna; and the Proto-Indo-European root of latin vāgīna is u̯ā̆g-.

The last bit is from https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/lex/languages/Lat

 

[XerXesXu]

It must be mansplaining, because I'm a guy and I don't know what you're complaining about. Is it that it provided you with a definition of "vagina" that you didn't ask for?

You did get me a little curious about where the latin word vāgīna came from. I learned three things quickly: The AI I tried wanted to define English "vagina," which I did not ask for; all useful Latin etymologies are behind paywalls, which may explain why the AI couldn't tell me the etymology of the latin word vāgīna; and the Proto-Indo-European root of latin vāgīna is u̯ā̆g-.

The last bit is from https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/lex/languages/Lat

DeepSeek:
Yes, the Latin word "vāgīna" (sheath, scabbard) has a well-established Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root. The most widely accepted reconstruction is:

• PIE Root: *weg- or *weǵ-
  Meaning: "to weave, bind, knit together; a cover or enclosure."

Here's the breakdown and supporting evidence:

1. Semantic Connection:
   • The core idea is "something that encloses, covers, or contains." This fits perfectly with both the original Latin meaning ("sheath" for a sword) and the anatomical meaning (a canal that "encloses" or "receives").
   • The concept of weaving/binding relates to creating a fabric or structure that forms a covering or enclosure.
2. Phonetic Development (Latin):
   • PIE *weg- > Proto-Italic *wag-ina- (or similar) > Latin vāgīna.
   • The initial *w- became Latin *v-* (very regular sound change).
   • The *-g- remained as *-g-*.
   • The suffix -īna is a common Latin suffix forming nouns, often denoting purpose or material (e.g., lāna "wool" -> lānīna "woolen").
3. Cognates in Other Indo-European Languages:
   • Lithuanian: vóžiu (I cover, wrap), vãžis (a cover, wrapper). This directly shows the meaning "to cover."
   • Old Norse: veggr (wall - something that encloses). The *-gg- is a regular Germanic development from *-g-.
   • Old English: wæġn (WAGON - literally "a covered vehicle"). Shows the "covering/enclosure" meaning.
   • Old Church Slavonic: vesti (to clothe, to weave), vozŭ (wagon, carriage).
   • Sanskrit: vāgurā (snare, net - something woven to enclose). Shows the "weaving/binding" aspect.
   • Old Irish: fēn (basket, something woven). Shows the "weaving" and "container" aspects.
4. Alternative Theory (Less Likely):
   • A less favored theory connects it to the PIE root *wegh- (to go, transport, ride), suggesting the sheath is "where the sword goes." While this root gives us Latin vehere (to carry) and English wagon, way, etc., the semantic connection ("enclosure/cover" vs. "movement") is less direct and compelling than *weg- ("cover/enclosure"). Most scholars favor *weg-.

Conclusion:

The word "vagina" traces back through Latin vāgīna (sheath) to the Proto-Indo-European root *weg-, meaning "to weave, bind, or form a covering/enclosure." The development is well-supported by sound laws and cognates across various Indo-European languages, solidifying the core concept of "something that encloses or covers." The anatomical usage in Latin was a metaphorical extension of this basic meaning.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Reddit is, by and large, ignorant! But most of those folks are just "Idjits"

 

[NotWise]

Conclusion:

The word "vagina" traces back through Latin vāgīna (sheath) to the Proto-Indo-European root *weg-, meaning "to weave, bind, or form a covering/enclosure." The development is well-supported by sound laws and cognates across various Indo-European languages, solidifying the core concept of "something that encloses or covers." The anatomical usage in Latin was a metaphorical extension of this basic meaning.

Maybe @AG31 just needed a better LLM.

Per Gemini, the anatomical usage in English originated in the 1680's as a medical term. Not sure if that's the same thing as "a metaphorical extension of this basic meaning."

 

[XerXesXu]

Maybe @AG31 just needed a better LLM.

Per Gemini, the anatomical usage in English originated in the 1680's as a medical term. Not sure if that's the same thing as "a metaphorical extension of this basic meaning."

The extract above is an elaboration on its answer to my first question. The first answer did include:

1. Adoption into English: The word was adopted directly into English in the late 17th century (around the 1680s) as the standard anatomical term for this specific part of the female reproductive system.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

A quick search shows six uses of the word ‘vagina’ in the Latin Vulgate bible, but sadly they all refer to sheaths and swords. Although that is a good metaphor…

 

[NotWise]

The Latin Vulgate Bible is older than the English use of vagina by several hundred years.

According to this post on the Latin StackExchange, the proper Latin terms for the penis and vagina are mentula and cunnus. Though proper, they were considered obscene. Euphemisms (possibly including penis and vagina) where used in public.

According to Google, the Latin translation of "birth canal" is "ortus Canalis." That might be a literal translation and not the term that was used.

 

[Britva415]

it provided you with a definition of "vagina" that you didn't ask for?

It provided a definition that was wrong.

 

[NotWise]

It provided a definition that was wrong.

OK, yeah.

Edit: I may have given myself an illustration of mansplaining.

 

[AG31]

DeepSeek:
Yes, the Latin word "vāgīna" (sheath, scabbard) has a well-established Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root. The most widely accepted reconstruction is:

• PIE Root: *weg- or *weǵ-
  Meaning: "to weave, bind, knit together; a cover or enclosure."

Here's the breakdown and supporting evidence:

1. Semantic Connection:
   • The core idea is "something that encloses, covers, or contains." This fits perfectly with both the original Latin meaning ("sheath" for a sword) and the anatomical meaning (a canal that "encloses" or "receives").
   • The concept of weaving/binding relates to creating a fabric or structure that forms a covering or enclosure.
2. Phonetic Development (Latin):
   • PIE *weg- > Proto-Italic *wag-ina- (or similar) > Latin vāgīna.
   • The initial *w- became Latin *v-* (very regular sound change).
   • The *-g- remained as *-g-*.
   • The suffix -īna is a common Latin suffix forming nouns, often denoting purpose or material (e.g., lāna "wool" -> lānīna "woolen").
3. Cognates in Other Indo-European Languages:
   • Lithuanian: vóžiu (I cover, wrap), vãžis (a cover, wrapper). This directly shows the meaning "to cover."
   • Old Norse: veggr (wall - something that encloses). The *-gg- is a regular Germanic development from *-g-.
   • Old English: wæġn (WAGON - literally "a covered vehicle"). Shows the "covering/enclosure" meaning.
   • Old Church Slavonic: vesti (to clothe, to weave), vozŭ (wagon, carriage).
   • Sanskrit: vāgurā (snare, net - something woven to enclose). Shows the "weaving/binding" aspect.
   • Old Irish: fēn (basket, something woven). Shows the "weaving" and "container" aspects.
4. Alternative Theory (Less Likely):
   • A less favored theory connects it to the PIE root *wegh- (to go, transport, ride), suggesting the sheath is "where the sword goes." While this root gives us Latin vehere (to carry) and English wagon, way, etc., the semantic connection ("enclosure/cover" vs. "movement") is less direct and compelling than *weg- ("cover/enclosure"). Most scholars favor *weg-.

Conclusion:

The word "vagina" traces back through Latin vāgīna (sheath) to the Proto-Indo-European root *weg-, meaning "to weave, bind, or form a covering/enclosure." The development is well-supported by sound laws and cognates across various Indo-European languages, solidifying the core concept of "something that encloses or covers." The anatomical usage in Latin was a metaphorical extension of this basic meaning.

Thanks! A vivid illustration of how far the Chinese are ahead of us.

 

[AG31]

It must be mansplaining, because I'm a guy and I don't know what you're complaining about. Is it that it provided you with a definition of "vagina" that you didn't ask for?

You're kidding, right? Irony? I shouldn't complain about this definition, asked for or not?

"the vagina is a muscular tube that encloses and protects the female reproductive organs."

 

[NotWise]

You're kidding, right? Irony? I shouldn't complain about this definition, asked for or not?

"the vagina is a muscular tube that encloses and protects the female reproductive organs."

You didn't ask for a definition, so I didn't read what they said. My bad.

And for what it's worth, I asked your question of Google's Gemini app on my phone. It said:

The word "vagina" comes from the Latin word vāgīna, which means "sheath" or "scabbard."

This etymology reflects a historical perspective where the vagina was often viewed as a "sheath" for a "sword" (the penis). While this origin has been seen by some as heterosexist and misogynistic, it's important to note that the Latin noun was not originally used in an anatomical sense in classical times. The modern medical term for the female reproductive passage, "vagina," came into use around the 1680s during the Enlightenment Period.

Evidently all AIs are not created equal. I have it from a good source that the AI used for Google's search results is one of the worst.

 

[NotWise]

Blah blah.

 

[XerXesXu]

Evidently all AIs are not created equal. I have it from a good source that the AI used for Google's search results is one of the worst.

Some are better than others. More importantly, not all prompts are created equally. It's surprising how quickly it's become necessary to acquire some skill at prompt engineering. Hallucinations have become less common, but, surprisingly, they're mostly caused by a 'defect' in the prompt, somewhat similar to a jailbreak, than anything inherent in the LLM.

 

[TiberiusPrime]

Reddit is, by and large, ignorant! But most of those folks are just "Idjits"

100% agreed!

 

[AG31]

Some are better than others. More importantly, not all prompts are created equally. It's surprising how quickly it's become necessary to acquire some skill at prompt engineering. Hallucinations have become less common, but, surprisingly, they're mostly caused by a 'defect' in the prompt, somewhat similar to a jailbreak, than anything inherent in the LLM.

Do you see any problems with my prompt in the OP?

 

[AG31]

100% agreed!

Where does AI come into play with Reddit?

 

[MillieDynamite]

There is a whole subculture there that uses AI to write smut. Many post are created by AI for Reddit. But my comment was a joke and a putdown of Reddit and its users.

Where does AI come into play with Reddit?

 

[TiberiusPrime]

Where does AI come into play with Reddit?

With its moderation. I was banned for 3 days for supposedly "promoting violence". What I posted was that the only way you handle a bully is by knocking him on his ass. That's it. I then got permanently banned for "breaking the rules" 2 days later. I hadn't visited the site for the entirety of the ban. How the hell did I keep "breaking the rules"?

Of course the appeal was rejected.

If an actual human being looked it it, they would've seen it. AI doesn't.

Also, AI should be called "Actual Idiocy".