Don’t Believe Everything You Read on the Internet
Artificial Intelligence is Dangerous
For some time now I have been receiving emails touting Artificial Intelligence to help in answering questions and preparing factual stories. When I go on the computer and ask for synonyms for “Artificial” I received the following response.
Synonyms
- affected – assumed – bogus – contrived – factitious – fake – false and more. I think you get the idea, artificial intelligence may not be real intelligence.
So here is what I did. I went to AI “Bard” by Google and asked the following question.
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- It was built specifically for NASCAR racing and was only sold to the public because of homologation rules that required a minimum number of cars to be produced. This makes it a very rare car, with only 353 examples ever made. Actually, there were only 218 Spoiler II Dan Gurney cars built. There were 352 Dan Gurney Spoilers built, is that what Bard was trying to say but couldn’t even get that right?
- It is named after Dan Gurney, a famous American race car driver who was a consultant to Mercury on the development of the Spoiler II. Gurney’s input helped to make the car more aerodynamic and competitive on the track. (I am not sure that Gurney had much input on the Spoiler II)
- The Spoiler II has a number of unique features that make it stand out from other muscle cars of the era. These include a stretched, tapered nose, flush-mounted grille, and re-rolled rocker panels. These features helped to improve the car’s aerodynamics and top speed.
- The Spoiler II was available with a variety of powerful engines, including the 428 Cobra Jet and 429 Super Cobra Jet. These engines gave the car impressive performance, with a top speed of over 160 mph. We all know the Spoiler II only came with a 351 Windsor engine.
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Overall, the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Dan Gurney Spoiler II is a rare and unique muscle car that was built for racing. It is a car that is highly sought-after by collectors and enthusiasts.
Here are some additional details about the car:
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- It was based on the Mercury Cyclone “Sportsroof” (Ford’s trade name for a fastback) 2-door hardtop.
- The front end was redesigned with a longer, more tapered nose and a flush-mounted grille.
- The rocker panels were re-rolled to allow the car to be lowered without violating NASCAR’s ride-height requirements.
- It was available with a variety of engines, including the 351 Windsor, 428 Cobra Jet, and 429 Super Cobra Jet.
- The top speed was over 160 mph.
- Only 353 examples were ever made.
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If you are a fan of muscle cars or NASCAR racing, the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Dan Gurney Spoiler II is a car that you should definitely check out. It is a rare and unique car that is sure to turn heads.
I am not sure where the 160 MPH quote came from, but it is one that I have not heard before nor have I confirmed it.
I gave Bard a second chance to see if it could improve. I asked the same question but used “Cale Yarborough” instead of “Dan Gurney” I got back a nearly identical answer. However, this time Bard told me that the Cale Yarborough Spoiler II was only available with a 428 CJ Ram Air engine! Completely false again. It also told me that there were 617 Cale Yarborough Spoiler II cars built. Wrong again Bard, there were only 285 Cale Yarborough Spoiler II cars built.
Let this simply be a reminder to everyone that people do make mistakes and AI is far from perfect. To put too much credibility in what we read on the internet without questioning it can be quite dangerous. I asked a similar question regarding the 1969 Ford Talladega. Bard told me that among its special modifications included a “wider top to make it more aerodynamic”! I don’t think all the intelligence fed into Bart has been all that correct.
What does all this tell me? Disappointedly, Bard does not include this site when it searches for information on Spoiler and Spoiler II cars. I wonder where it got the information it used?
