Artificial intelligence, a good or bad thing?

Johnny Yellow Pants

Bigger Hammer
Aug 9, 2026
27
Uk
First Name
John
Willys Model
  1. CJ
Willys Year:
  1. 1952
Hi,
Since recently because the proud owner of a Willys M38A1.
I have had an enormous appetite for all manner of information.

I turned to A.I. with mixed results.

I uploaded a photo of my Jeeps data plate and it came back with a lot of interesting stuff, also a photo of the numbers on the body work revealed some interesting history .

However when quizzed about the cylinder head it didn't do so well, it thought that there were 14 head bolts not 15.

It didn't know about the one in the inlet manifold.

It also believed that the distributor and exhaust manifold were on the same side of the engine.

So I am thinking it's useful but not a silver bullet.

Any thoughts?

P.S.

I feel very smug when I correct it!
 
I guess it depends on which AI source you use.

I use Gemini by Google, I typed in your search query and it came back with 15 and where the short bolt is located in the inlet manifold and their torque specs.

Each AI model is different and continuing to learn so for it to learn you will need to correct it.

I think its a good tool if used responsibly.
 
I have never used AI and have never missed it. Am I a dinosaur? or just know how to learn things the old way? I know how to find things out. My Godgrandson has tech school buddies who use their computer for everything and can’t even describe what they want to look up. They can’t even mix their own 2 cycle gas for the saws. Or know what the next smaller wrench is to 11/16”. They like hanging around me because they learn what the school can’t teach. If you can believe this, I taught a student with welding certs how to arc weld. He never actually did any. And you would not believe what their high school girlfriends tell me. They have no strong father figure to talk to. YIKES! I am called Uncle Greg by 2 of them.
diggerG
 
The large language models (LLMs) were trained by reading everything they could reach in the online universe. My impression is they didn’t always know how to discriminate between authoritative sources like the Service Manual and boloney posted by random people like me who know only enough to be dangerously inept.

There is also the problem of vagueness in source material, where the LLM may not always be able to distinguish which Willys engine is being discussed, so it may confuse details between engines.

Presumably AI will get better over time, but given stories one hears about AI hallucinations, perhaps not.
 
AI does have a long way to go. Part of the process after collecting everything it can, is the distillation process. I think when the models become authoritative information centric, then the answers/conclusions/inference generated will be more accurate. Many of the models have been trained with public data including Reddit, related forums, videos and the like. The private models that say, a hospital uses, will get it's data from private and imperial sources. I think the tech is going to benefit us over time. We're going to have to start paying for it though. I even see a future where "search" will no longer be free. We'll see!
 
I like others have had mixed results with it. The last time I used it for car related info it was pretty poor. I asked what the torque specs were for an oil pump and got 4 different answers ranging from 30 to 60 ft pounds. So for something critical like that and other specs I wouldn't trust it. And other questions it would mostly give me info for Chevy 327 and not a AMC 327.
 
Bear with me on this, I haven't gone off topic.

I am in the UK and have been struggling to find anyone this side of the pond that can supply a rear wheel bearing for my m38A1.

Plenty of people stateside or in India can.

As a long shot I asked A.I this question...

Do any modern jeeps, such as the wrangler use identical wheel bearings as those on my m38A1?

The reply it came with was"yes" and it gave a list of models and years of manufacture.

The wrangler bearings are readily available at a cost of £22.
 
I had an opportunity to visit a prominent Jeep historian last week and couldn't remember his entire address.
I typed his name into Google AI and it responded that he was deceased.

I simply replied that I'll be sure to tell him that when I visit him today.

Instantly the AI appologized and gave me a 3 page summary of his activities in the last 5 years.

I now ask all my questions twice to see if I get the same answer...
 
Johnny Yellow Pants said:
Bear with me on this, I haven't gone off topic.

I am in the UK and have been struggling to find anyone this side of the pond that can supply a rear wheel bearing for my m38A1.

Plenty of people stateside or in India can.

As a long shot I asked A.I this question...

Do any modern jeeps, such as the wrangler use identical wheel bearings as those on my m38A1?

The reply it came with was"yes" and it gave a list of models and years of manufacture.

The wrangler bearings are readily available at a cost of £22.
Click to expand...
Did they fit?
 
Johnny Yellow Pants said:
The reply it came with was"yes" and it gave a list of models and years of manufacture.
Click to expand...
I seriously doubt that there's any truth to that statement by AI. Without even looking it up, I'll wager that the M38A1 uses a tapered roller bearing and the modern jeeps use what's now called a unit bearing assembly, or "set".
 
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