journal features

according to an AI

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Kokubunji, 2024.12.19

A friend shared a story about a new AI that is specifically trying to improve search results while cleaning up the hallucinations and other things that have made AI tools such a mess. It's called Perplexity which I suppose is fitting of the times.

Here's what it had to say about me.

profile of Michael Werneburg according to an AI

Now, I asked it how many Michael Werneburg there in the world and it said there was just me. But when I asked it for the profile above it supplied at least one photo of a fellow with the same name who is an auto dealer in a town near where my grandfather was born. So, it's still lying.

To keep myself humble I had the same AI check in on an old friend, whose life sounds a lot more interesting I have to say.

the profile of Jonathan "Satan McNugget" Culp according to an AI

rand()m quote

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges