aixcentric

Last month I read an article about the website ChatGPT which was launched last November.  It’s based on a ‘massive supercomputer’ from Microsoft and is designed to provide fluently-written text in response to questions, ie. it’s not a search engine.  Apparently it’s making some universities in Paris revert to in-person exams in some circumstances, but other professions are hailing its capabilities.

To provide content, it has swallowed up, I read, the contents of 8 million websites.  With more than 2000+ posts on Aixcentric to date, I wondered whether those were in there too?

So, I asked it a purposely vague question: Do you know anything about a blog called Aixcentric?

This is what it came back with, literally in seconds.  Incredibly impressive but with one big mistake!

Yes, Aixcentric is a blog focused on life and culture in Aix-en-Provence, a city in southern France. The blog is written by Lynne Alderson, an English writer who has lived in the city for over 20 years. The blog covers a range of topics including local events, food, music, art, and history, as well as travel and lifestyle.

Aixcentric provides insights into the daily life of Aix-en-Provence, as well as suggestions for things to do and places to visit in the city and surrounding areas. The blog is regularly updated with new content and has a loyal following among both locals and visitors to the region.

In addition to the blog, Lynne Alderson has also written a number of books about Aix-en-Provence, including a guidebook and a memoir. She is a well-respected member of the local community and has been awarded the Médaille d’Honneur de la Ville d’Aix-en-Provence for her contribution to the city’s cultural life.

Overall, Aixcentric is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Aix-en-Provence and the wider Provence region.

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I was completely astonished to read this. It is so fluently and plausibly written, but with one big mistake.  Yes it’s that Medaille d’Honneur which I’m not sure even exists!  The website does stress that it’s a beta version and there will be mistakes, but what an impressive tool and what questions it poses us all.

(The photo was taken in the town’s air-conditioned subterranean archives where a collection of thousands of ancient books are preserved. They were donated by the Marquis of Vauvenargues in 1786 and hidden in the attics at the Hotel de Ville when it was ransacked by the revolutionaries).