Verde River Institute
ChatGPT Discussions
ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence (AI) interface that can be used in a very natural, conversational style to explore a subject. The discussions listed here were conducted by an interviewer having such a discussion with the AI. As of this writing (February 16, 2023), the interface and the information it relies upon to create its responses are limited to information on the web, books, and other internet sources prior to 2022. It is also influenced by how much information on a topic is available. Sometimes, the responses may seem authoritative, but may actually be incomplete, have some unintentional bias, or occasionally, just plain wrong. The use of AI in these ways is in its infancy, so must be understood as a “Beta” program today.
The Verde River Institute presents these as an exciting new technology that can be extremely helpful if used correctly, but we make no warrants as to the accuracy or completeness of the AI’s responses. In a very few discussions (less than 5%) the AI made errors of information or interpretation that we felt were too great or confusing to publish, in which case we rated the entire discussion unreliable and didn’t publish it here. Overall, the discussions proved very well-presented and had what we felt was an unbiased and well-informed perspective on the topic.
We have presented the discussions exactly as they were queried and responded to, with only a few typographic errors in the interviewer’s queries corrected for clarity.
- Adaptive management of complex systems, biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability - read this one if you don’t read any others!
- Ecosystem services, externalized costs and the cost of doing nothing
- Monitoring and Education Programs and how to engage Citizen Scientist volunteers
- Fluvial geomorphology – the form and function of the Verde River
- Riffles, rapids, runs and pools – the river’s flow regimes and their importance
- Aquatic invertebrates and how they indicate ecosystem health
- Riparian restoration priorities and benefits
- The assessment of tree health and its importance to a riparian monitoring program
- Riparian tree health assessment 2
- Dendrochronology – Using tree rings to tell us more about the riparian ecosystem
- Index species and how they help us keep track of ecosystem health
- The importance of understanding the levels of dissolved oxygen and total dissolved solids in the river
- The importance of pH in understanding water quality
- Turbidity’s effect on the river’s health
- Using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling to understand a river ecosystem
- How commercial and educational kayak trips can help the Verde River
- Causation, correlation, and dying Arizona alders
- Entropy, governments, water and ecosystems – how inaction can deplete resources
- Water conservation, benefits of direct potable reuse, etc.
- Direct Potable Reuse - Using highly treated wastewater to expand our water supplies