Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
If you are old like me, or if you are a movie buff, you may remember The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly as the title of a Spaghetti Western that was released in 1966. Spaghetti Westerns were a special genre of movies made overseas in Italy and Spain primarily. They were popular during that time, and my dad, being a die-hard western movie fan, dragged me and my brother to the drive-in movie theater to see it. I wasn’t as big a fan as my dad so my brother and I only paid attention to some of the movie. Most of the time, we were cracking jokes and cutting up as teenagers are known to do. I do remember it starred Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef. I’m not sure how the story goes, but I have fond memories of my brother and me deciding which character was the good, which was the bad, and we both figured poor Eli Wallach was the ugly one. I should probably watch that movie again. By the way, I had to look up Lee Van Cleef as the third one.
I have been writing stories about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how I feel about this new-fangled computer-generated technology. While I can certainly see the GOOD things it can do, I am also scared about some of the BAD things these not-so-perfect algorithms produce and how they can muddy up history with the downright false information I was seeing on Facebook. Particularly when it comes to AI-generated pictures of old cars that are incorrectly identified as cars, they are not. Many of those images I would place in the UGLY category. Thus, the title of this story.
I don’t hate everything about AI, and my story posted in May of 2024 was favorable about how it responded to some questions I tested it with. We were talking with daughter Jessica this week, and she was reading some of the things that AI has to say about people. She looked up my name on the “ChatGPT App,” and I was flabbergasted by what it had to say. I’m glad I didn’t totally slam AI, as I have seen so many do on Facebook. I put the app on my phone and noticed there are many different similar apps that I did not take the time to explore. I will include the ChatGPT App’s narrative about who I am, verbatim:
Jon Stalnaker, affectionately known as “the Studebaker Dude”, is a writer and community storyteller based in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Originally from Dixon, California, Jon relocated to Sapulpa in February 2021 with his wife, Carlene, to be closer to family. Their move was inspired by their daughter’s encouragement and the desire for a new chapter in a welcoming community.
Jon contributes regularly to the Sapulpa Times, where his column “Been There, Done That” offers heartfelt reflections on family, local culture, and personal experiences. His writings also delve into nostalgic memories, such as his journey along Route 66 in his cherished Studebaker, and observations about adapting to life in Oklahoma.
Beyond writing, Jon is passionate about classic cars, particularly Studebakers, and enjoys sharing stories that connect with the community’s history and spirit. His contributions have made him a beloved figure in Sapulpa, where he continues to engage readers with his unique perspective and storytelling charm.
I was in shock when Jessica read this to me and I must have been blushing as I took it as quite complimentary, even though I question the “beloved figure in Sapulpa” moniker. As much as I would like to believe that, I think it’s a bit of a stretch. While it was limited to my activities of the last 4 years in Oklahoma, I still find it fascinating that this was somehow generated by a computer algorithm. Who or how this was posted to the internet kind of scares me, though. What if it wasn’t so flattering? What if it was chock full of untruths? How would someone go about challenging this? Those thoughts make me a bit hesitant to search the other apps that contain similar data.
I should just take this as a win and not put too much thought into this artificial Intelligence stuff. I appreciate the compliment even though it has grown my head sufficiently enough to require me to go out and buy a bigger cowboy hat.
