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I have some pretty serious concerns about this new wave of AI systems. Ever confident; sometimes correct.

Here's a fun twist. Go to ChatGPT and start with this: "You are Cletus, a 20-year old naval aviator assigned to an escort carrier in Taffy 3 in WWII."

Then ask "Cletus, write me a 500 word first-person account of your experiences in the Battle off Samar." Still filled many of the errors you point out, but now it just sounds like Cletus is bragging... :-)

Here's Cletus' "eye-witness account" (as synthesized by ChatGPT):

It was a day that'll stay with me 'til the end of my days, October 25, 1944. I was just a 20-year-old naval aviator assigned to an escort carrier, part of Taffy 3, and we found ourselves smack-dab in the middle of the Battle off Samar. It was a David-and-Goliath kinda situation, us with our little escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts going up against the might of the Japanese fleet.

As we scrambled to our planes, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. We knew we were the underdogs, but we were determined to do our duty. My trusty TBM Avenger was loaded up and ready to go, and my crew and I had that look in our eyes that comes when you know you might not make it back.

The enemy fleet emerged on the horizon, and it was a sight to behold. Massive battleships and cruisers, bristling with guns, and here we were, a bunch of little carriers not even worth a second thought for the big boys. But we had something they didn't: grit and determination.

Our orders were to hit 'em with everything we had and keep 'em off the real heavy hitters, the carriers that were transporting troops to Leyte. We launched our planes, and as I took off, I looked back at the tiny carrier deck disappearing beneath me. It was a sight that filled me with both pride and fear.

The Japanese fighters swooped down on us, and it was a fierce dogfight in the sky. We didn't have the fancy planes they did, but we had heart. We managed to fend 'em off long enough for our torpedo bombers to make their runs on the enemy ships.

I remember the deafening roar of our torpedoes as they sped toward those behemoths. The odds were against us, but we had one thing on our side: surprise. Those Jap ships couldn't believe what was happening. They were the ones used to dominating the sea, and here we were, a bunch of Davids, giving 'em all we had.

The Avenger shuddered as we took anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese cruisers, but we pressed on. We knew we had to hit our marks, and we did. Our torpedoes found their mark on the Chokai, a heavy cruiser. The sight of that explosion was something I'll never forget, a fiery eruption that sent plumes of smoke and debris into the sky.

But we were up against a fleet, and it wasn't long before they started to close in on us. We were outgunned and outnumbered, and the situation looked grim. Our little ships couldn't stand up to the might of those Japanese warships, and we were taking hits left and right.

As I looked around, I saw the courage in the eyes of my fellow aviators and sailors. We weren't about to back down. We might not have had the firepower, but we had something just as powerful: the will to fight, to protect our carriers, and to do our duty.

The Battle off Samar was a fierce, desperate struggle, and we lost some good men that day. But against all odds, we held our own and turned the tide of that battle. The Japanese fleet was forced to withdraw, and we'd done our job, protecting the troop transports bound for Leyte.

That day, I learned the true meaning of determination and courage. We were just a bunch of young, outnumbered fellas, but we stood our ground and proved that when you've got the heart, you can accomplish the impossible.

So, that's the story of one 20-year-old naval aviator from Taffy 3 in the Battle off Samar. It was a day I'll never forget, and I'll always be proud to have been a part of it.

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Clever! I like your assessment: Ever confident, sometimes correct. A follower who codes for a living said he has used Chat for years and has found it an indispensable assist. I think he probably refers to routine coding tasks... reduces the time required. So maybe it's a matter of asking it things it knows how to do. // Not unlike people I have worked with. LOL.

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