SUNDAY PROMPT: What are the top conspiracy theories unrelated to their jobs amplified and propagated by Uber and Lyft drivers? A Gen AI story.

In this sabbatical year, I've taken a lot of Uber and Lyft rides to school. The bus ride is an unreliable 40 minutes and ride hailing services are about 7-8 minutes and 7-8 bucks. Kind of a no brainer to allow for maximum study time. I've heard most of the conspiracy theories below even in these short rides. I don't mean to pick on either Uber or Lyft as I enjoy their services and this list largely reflects the current conspiracy theories swirling around the US. Uber & Lyft drivers are just people and people are susceptible to conspiracy theories. To avoid falling into the same trap I've tried to pull others out of, I generally swear off contentious social media and YouTube. If you ask people where they heard about crazy X <insert item of choice from the list below>, you will invariably hear that they saw it on YouTube or social media. Apparently they didn't get the memo where you are not supposed to believe everything you read on the Internet or the important footnote that says YouTube and social media are on the Internet. This subject, while amusing if painful, is not what I wanted to do with this Sunday Prompt.

What I want to do is briefly talk about the amazing mirror that LLMs are becoming on both the positive and negative aspects of humanity - Black Mirrors and Light Mirrors, if you will.

So as you read the prompt and response below, consider how probability calculations combined with secret tech to keep it from going off the rails, like Microsoft's Tay.ai, are capable of now synthesizing complex concepts. This perfect list of 10, which are hard to argue aren't the top nonsense you hear on the way to the airport, is pretty astounding.

Now if you want to have your hair blown back better than any salon, ask ChatGPT 4.0 to compare Islam with Fundamentalist Christianity and hold onto your socks. This is way to hot to handle for a LinkedIn article, but let's just say you are going to need a lot of mousse (is that still a thing) or hair gel after that.

Again as mentioned in previous posts, these LLM capabilities, the experts say are not fluidly defined Artificial Generalized Intelligence (AGI), but I am finding this doesn't matter that much in using the most advanced public foundational models.

• LLMs have previously helped me dissect the fervor over their hallucinations compared to humans.
• Compare Saudi Arabian adobe bricks to Native American adobe. (Spoiler alert, they are exactly the same.)
• And, it has made a very elegant and well supported case that Native Americans engaged in global trade.

These are the tip of the iceberg in both the current state of the technology and what one could do with it today.

Possibilities range from the frivolous, but eye-opening prompt below to keeping up with and possibly iterating on the game-change desalination technologies currently surfacing that are about to terraform earth with enough carbon capture to supplant our worst, and in 2023 nearly inexcusable, fossil fuel burning transgressions.

I previously suggested that you stop searching entirely. I guess this Sunday Prompt is doubling down on that point.

I previously suggested that you stop searching entirely. I guess this Sunday Prompt is doubling down on that point. Beyond a better experience than search could ever hope to deliver, this synthesis LLMs are capable of is a game changer.

Take two related ideas and use LLMs to smash them together like atoms and see what happens. Make sure you dust off your critical reasoning skills, if you've been watching too much YouTube, to make sure the AI is not hallucinating, but use the synthesis LLMs are capable to uncover new knowledge. Some may quibble that some researcher with a red stapler in a basement somewhere has already mashed up those two ideas and laboriously written an obscure paper about it in opaque language you can find in a remote library that is rarely open, but now you can uncover the same with a few clicks.

In summary, remember to stop searching. Use LLMs power of synthesis to create new knowledge or at least new to you, understand emerging knowledge, debunk conspiracy theories like those below, or if you must, "Flock of Seagull<s>" your hair.

Prompt: What are the top conspiracy theories unrelated to their jobs amplified and propagated by Uber and Lyft drivers? Share at least a list of 10 conspiracy theories in order of their popularity.

Google Bard Response:

Here is a list of the top 10 conspiracy theories unrelated to their jobs amplified and propagated by Uber and Lyft drivers, in order of their popularity:

1. Flat Earth: This theory claims that the Earth is flat rather than spherical. It is based on the idea that the horizon appears flat to the naked eye, and that there is no evidence that the Earth curves. Flat Earthers believe that the government and other powerful institutions are lying about the shape of the Earth in order to control the population.
2. New World Order (NWO): This theory claims that a group of powerful elites are working to create a one-world government. NWO theorists believe that this government will be totalitarian and oppressive, and that it will strip people of their individual freedoms. They believe that the NWO is already in place and that it is working behind the scenes to control the world.
3. Illuminati: This theory claims that a secret society called the Illuminati is controlling the world. The Illuminati is said to be a group of wealthy and powerful individuals who are working to achieve global domination. Illuminati theorists believe that the Illuminati is responsible for many of the world's major events, such as wars, revolutions, and economic crises.
4. Bilderberg Group: This theory claims that an annual meeting of wealthy and powerful individuals is actually a front for a group that is trying to control the world. Bilderberg theorists believe that the Bilderberg Group is made up of the same people who are behind the Illuminati and the New World Order. They believe that the group is using its influence to shape global events and to implement its own agenda.
5. Deep State: This theory claims that there is a hidden government within the U.S. government that is more powerful than the elected government. The Deep State is said to be made up of unelected officials, military leaders, and intelligence operatives. Deep State theorists believe that the Deep State is working to undermine the elected government and to implement its own agenda.
6. Anti-Vaxxers: This theory claims that vaccines are dangerous or ineffective. Anti-Vaxxers believe that vaccines can cause a variety of serious side effects, including autism and death. They believe that the government and the pharmaceutical industry are lying about the safety of vaccines in order to make money.
7. 5G: This theory claims that 5G cellular networks are harmful to human health or are being used for surveillance. 5G theorists believe that 5G radiation can cause a variety of health problems, such as cancer and neurological disorders. They also believe that 5G networks are being used to spy on people and to track their movements.
8. Chemtrails: This theory claims that contrails, or the visible condensation trails from airplanes, are actually chemicals being sprayed into the atmosphere for a variety of nefarious purposes. Chemtrail theorists believe that these chemicals are being used to control the population, to alter the weather, or to create geoengineering projects.
9. Moon Landing Hoax: This theory claims that the United States never landed on the moon in 1969. Moon Landing Hoax theorists believe that the Apollo 11 mission was faked and that the footage of the landing was staged in a studio. They believe that the government faked the moon landing in order to win the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
10. 9/11 Inside Job: This theory claims that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 attacks. 9/11 Inside Job theorists believe that the government allowed the attacks to happen or even carried them out itself in order to justify the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. They believe that the government used the attacks to expand its power and to enrich its cronies.

It is important to note that these are just a few of the many conspiracy theories that are popular among Uber and Lyft drivers. There are many other theories out there, and each driver may have their own unique set of beliefs. It is also important to remember that not all Uber and Lyft drivers believe in conspiracy theories. However, the fact that these theories are so common among drivers is a sign of the deep-seated problems that exist within society as a whole.

#ai #llms #genai #software #strategy #management

Ken Pulverman is a Silicon Valley software executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in large and small software companies including multiple C-Suite roles in both Product and Marketing in growth companies resulting in three successful exits and an IPO. Ken is currently taking a sabbatical year as part of his commitment to lifelong learning. He is pursuing a second masters in Product Management at Carnegie Mellon University where in addition to completing the degree, he is also teaching has written a book on product management that he is putting the finishing touches on. Simultaneously, he is pursuing a yearlong CEO certificate program through the University of California, Berkeley. At the end of this year, Ken will begin a part-time (weekends) Doctorate of Business Administration remotely with SDA Bocconi School of Business, Milan. Ken will return to a full-time industry role starting in 2024.