https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ai-question-about-nb-1.6699498
We asked an AI questions about New Brunswick. Some of the answers may surprise you
The program can write a limerick and create a story, but does it know everything about the picture province?
ChatGPT, owned by San Francisco-based firm OpenAI, is a sophisticated artificial intelligence that answers questions or completes tasks.
Its responses are designed to mimic humans, and although the AI is easy to use, the program itself warns users when they sign up that not everything ChatGPT says is accurate.
We decided to ask ChatGPT a series of questions about New Brunswick to test its accuracy.
What are 3 interesting facts about New Brunswick?
- New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada, with both English and French being recognized as the official languages of the province. This is a result of the province's history as a French colony, and today, French is spoken by about a third of the population.
- New Brunswick is home to the highest tides in the world, which occur in the Bay of Fundy. The tides can reach heights of up to 16 metres (52 feet), and they are a major tourist attraction in the province.
- New Brunswick is home to the longest covered bridge in the world, the Hartland Covered Bridge. The bridge is 1,282 feet long and was completed in 1901. It is a popular tourist attraction and a symbol of the province's history and culture.
Hartland's covered bridge is one of New Brunswick's signature tourism attractions, a fact ChatGPT didn't miss. (Tourism New Brunswick)Where are the coolest places to go in New Brunswick?*
- Fundy National Park: Located on the Bay of Fundy, this national park is known for its dramatic coastline, forests and hiking trails. It is also home to some of the highest tides in the world.
- Saint John: Saint John is known for its historic neighbourhoods, vibrant arts scene and beautiful harbour. It is home to many interesting landmarks and attractions, including the Saint John City Market, the New Brunswick Museum and the Loyalist Burial Ground.
- Fundy Trail Parkway: This scenic drive along the Bay of Fundy offers breathtaking views of the coastline and the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife, including whales and dolphins. The parkway includes several hiking trails, lookouts and interpretive centers.
- Hopewell Rocks: Located on the Bay of Fundy, the Hopewell Rocks are a series of unusual rock formations that are shaped by the tides. Visitors can explore the rocks at low tide and see the flowerpot formations up close, or take a guided kayaking tour.
- Miramichi: A historic city located on the Miramichi River, Miramichi is known for its beautiful natural surroundings and outdoor activities, such as fishing and birdwatching. It is also home to many cultural attractions, including the Miramichi Folklore and Heritage Museum.*
*The AI program doesn't seem to be familiar with many areas of the province. And it must be thinking of the Miramichi Folkore Park in Renous.
Tell me a joke about New Brunswick.
Why did the moose cross the road in New Brunswick? To get to the other side of the forest!
ChatGPT identified Donald Sutherland, who was born in Saint John, as a famous person from New Brunswick. (Jordan Strauss/Associated Press)
Who are 3 famous people from New Brunswick?
- Donald Sutherland: An actor with a long and varied career in film, television and stage, Sutherland was born in Saint John and has appeared in many popular movies and TV shows. Some of his notable roles include his portrayal of the title character in MASH and his performance as the president of the United States in Designated Survivor.*
- Samantha Bee: A comedian, writer, and television host, Bee was born in Toronto but grew up in Fredericton. She is best known for her work as a correspondent on The Daily Show and as the host of her own late-night talk show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.*
- David Alward: A politician and lawyer, Alward served as the premier of New Brunswick from 2010 to 2014. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party and focused on issues such as economic development and job creation during his time in office.
*As the AI says, not all answers are accurate. Donald Sutherland's son, Kiefer Sutherland, starred in Designated Survivor. And CBC could not verify Samantha Bee's connection to New Brunswick.
What are some good songs about New Brunswick?
- New Brunswick and Me, Stompin' Tom Connors: This song is a tribute to the province of New Brunswick, and it celebrates the people, culture and natural beauty of the province.
- Shipyard Town, David Myles: This song is a tribute to the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, and it celebrates the city's history and its place as a major port in the Maritimes.*
- The Ketchup Song, Las Ketchup: This song is a global hit that was originally recorded in Spanish, but it has been translated into many languages, including English. The song was inspired by a trip that the band took to New Brunswick, and it features references to the province and its culture.*
*CBC could not find any evidence Las Ketchup's The Ketchup Song had anything to do with New Brunswick. However, there is a song called The Ketchup Song by Stompin' Tom. And the AI seems to be confusing David Myles with the Scottish singer-songer Gerry Rafferty, who did, indeed, write a song called Shipyard Town.
David Myles's Shipyard Town is a good song about New Brunswick, according to ChatGPT. While David Myles has wriiten many excellent songs that's not one of them. That song was written by Gerry Rafferty, a 1970s Scottish singer-songwriter who did not write it about Saint John. (Courtesy DavidMyles.com)
What is poutine râpée?
Poutine râpée is a traditional dish from the Acadian region of eastern Canada, which includes parts of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. It is made with a mixture of grated potatoes, flour and salt that is shaped into small balls and then fried until they are crisp and golden brown. Poutine râpée is typically served with a variety of accompaniments, such as sausage, ham, or other meats, as well as gravy or other sauces.*
*The Ai is off on this one. It is made with grated potatoes but is often filled with salt pork and it's usually boiled. And the mixture is shaped into large balls, not small ones.
What are some other good foods in New Brunswick?
- Lobster: New Brunswick is home to a thriving lobster industry, and the province is known for its delicious lobster dishes.
- Seafood chowder: New Brunswick is located on the Atlantic coast, so it's no surprise that seafood is a staple of the province's cuisine.
- Fiddleheads: These curly, young fern shoots are a popular springtime delicacy in New Brunswick and are often served as a side dish or in salads.
- Blueberries: New Brunswick is known for its abundant wild blueberry crops, and blueberries are often used in a variety of dishes, including pies, muffins and jams.
- Maple syrup: New Brunswick is home to a number of maple syrup producers, and maple syrup is often used as a sweetener in local dishes and desserts.
Pick your favourite food from the list you just gave me.
As an artificial intelligence, I do not have personal preferences or the ability to taste food. However, I can tell you that all of the foods on the list are popular and well-loved by many people in New Brunswick and beyond.
Lobster is a popular food in New Brunswick, according to chatGPT. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Write me a limerick about New Brunswick.
There once was a place called New Brunswick
Where the people were friendly and fun
They loved to explore
The great outdoors, and more
The beauty of nature never done
With a climate that's cool and quite humid
They enjoy the outdoors and never feel glum
From hiking and camping
To fishing and rambling
New Brunswick's a great place to succumb
Tell me a funny story about New Brunswick.
One summer, a group of friends decided to go on a camping trip in New Brunswick. They packed their tents, sleeping bags, and supplies and set off into the wilderness. After a few days of hiking and exploring, they decided to set up camp near a small lake.
As they were setting up their tents, they noticed that there was a strange smell in the air. They couldn't quite place it, but it seemed to be getting stronger as the evening went on. Eventually, they realized that the smell was coming from their campsite.
They searched around and eventually found the source of the smell: a pile of moose droppings that had been left behind by a passing moose. They were horrified and quickly moved their campsite to a different location.
The next morning, they woke up to find that their campsite had been visited by a group of curious beavers, who had built a dam around their tents. The friends laughed and shook their heads at the absurdity of it all, and they decided to pack up and head back home, vowing to never return to New Brunswick again.
ChatGPT doesn't have physical form and can't travel, but if it did, it might visit the Bay of Fundy. (Shane Magee/CBC)
If you were a human being, would you ever visit New Brunswick?
As an artificial intelligence, I do not have physical form and cannot travel. However, I can tell you that New Brunswick is a beautiful and interesting place with a lot to offer visitors. It has a diverse landscape, including forests, rolling hills and coastline, and is home to many parks and natural areas, including Fundy National Park and Kouchibouguac National Park. The province is also home to a thriving forestry and agricultural industry, as well as a growing technology sector.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
https://chat.openai.com/chat
David Amos
Do you know who I am???
I'm sorry, but I don't have any information about you as I am a language model trained by OpenAI. I do not have the ability to see or access any personal information about you or anyone else. Is there anything else I can help you with?
David Amos
How come you mentioned other politicians I have run against in New Brunswick???
I'm sorry, but I don't have any information about specific politicians or elections in New Brunswick. As a language model, I don't have access to any personal information or current events. I can only provide general information and answer questions to the best of my ability based on the information that I have been trained on. Is there anything else I can help you with?
David Amos
Need I say that I don't believe you???
I understand if you have concerns about my abilities as a language model, but I can assure you that I do not have access to any personal information or current events. I can only provide general information and answer questions to the best of my ability based on the information that I have been trained on. If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to try to help you to the best of my ability. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Re: Not so funny
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Sat, Dec 31, 2022 at 7:30 AM |
| To: Fishman Kramer <lizkramer@hotmail.com>, "blaine.higgs"<blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "Bill.Hogan"<Bill.Hogan@gnb.ca>, "kris.austin"<kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "David.Akin"<David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, "David.Coon"<David.Coon@gnb.ca>, "David.Lametti"<David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, "Bill.Oliver"<Bill.Oliver@gnb.ca>, "Gary.Crossman"<Gary.Crossman@gnb.ca> | |
Couple donates 27 acres to protect at-risk species, rare forest in N.B.Nature Trust will take over stewardship of the land located in Gagetown, 57 kms southeast of FrederictonAnd they couldn't be happier about it. That land, located in Gagetown, is now a nature preserve and will be protected forever by Nature Trust New Brunswick, a non-profit land conservation organization. Bancroft, a biologist from Nova Scotia and a regular guest on CBC's Maritime Noon, said he and his wife Alice found the land by chance when they began looking for a property in Gagetown in 2015 so they could live near their friends for a part of the year.
 Bancroft said he discovered the land was home to a host of at-risk species. (Submitted by Stephanie Merrill)They have a boat at the Gagetown Marina they they use to travel up and down the St. John River, but it's not ideal for long-term living. "Although we can stay on it for three or four days, it's small so we decided we better have a land base," Bancroft told Shift. "We were really lucky, we just found this property next to our friends … that fit the bill really nicely right within the village of Gagetown." One day in 2016 when Bancroft and Reed were working to build a campsite on their land, he decided to explore the depths of the property for the first time.
"I came upon this amazing floodplain … a lot of the trees were about 30 meters apart, but their canopy shaded them from the afternoon sun so they were catching all of the solar rays," he said. Bancroft said what was most significant about the forest, filled with silver maples, is that they appeared to never have been cut down. He said it's rare in New Brunswick to find trees that haven't been cut down three or four times. "Later that day I grabbed Alice and I said, 'Well you've got to go see what we have here.'" He was amazed to find the land was home to a host of species, including moose, fox, bears, otters and at least two kinds of turtles — the snapping variety and the wood turtle. He also found a creek that flows into Harts Lake, an important spawning place for the speckled trout.
Bancroft said he quickly discovered their land served as a refuge for because of areas around it that have either been clear cut or developed. "It's interesting because these big tall pines, the bears would get up in them on a windy day just to cool off … it's like air conditioning up there," he said. "The creek is beautiful, the beavers have managed it for thousands of years … the streams are filled with dams." They decided they needed to protect this land and made contact with Nature Trust New Brunswick. Bancroft and Reed donated 27.2 acres of their 34-acre lot, which is now officially protected as a nature preserve. Stephanie Merrill, the CEO of Nature Trust New Brunswick, said the property is "a really special place." "Bob and Alice's property is gorgeous. It is an example of old-growth forest, which we all know is becoming more and more rare in New Brunswick," said Merrill. She said the silver maple floodplain forest found on the property is important for protecting river systems and flood control. Merrill said the land also has wetlands, which are breeding grounds for birds and reptiles. The process of donating landNature Trust has been working to protect New Brunswick land since 1987, according to its website. It says it has conserved more than 11,000 acres of land across more than 70 sites. Merrill said a lot of work goes into certifying land as a nature preserve and protecting the land for years afterward. "Conserving private land is really rewarding and, of course, is a lot of work and a really big decision," said Merrill. "This is a long commitment by us and the families." Nature Trust must first determine whether land is ecologically significant, whether it is supportive of at-risk species or includes unique features, including wetlands, bogs or floodplain forests. From there, a conversation is had about what the owners of the land would like to see protected, and how much of the property would be donated. "There are a lot of options … we can tailor the options to the individual's or family's needs," said Merrill. Once land is protected, it is monitored and cleaned up by members of Nature Trust and any trails on the land are maintained for public use. The organization completes surveys to understand plants, birds and other species on the preserve. "We keep track of how the protected land is providing habitat and how we may be seeing changes to species observations over time thanks to the newly conserved land," said Merrill. She said New Brunswick is still behind in land protection on the national scale. The national average for protected land is 13.5 per cent, Merrill said. ABOUT THE AUTHOR With files from Shift All Comments David Amos content deactivated – Welcome to the circus | |
Bancroft said the creek on the property has been managed by beavers for likely thousands of years. (Submitted by Bob Bancroft)
Alice Reed and her husband Bob donated 27.2 acres of their Gagetown property to Nature Trust New Brunswick. (Submitted by Bob Bancroft)
