I had a go at using AI—artificial intelligence. (Initially, I was not sure whether to use uppercase or lowercase letters. I asked one, usually good, AI app, but it did not seem to understand my question. I asked another, and the answer I got was clear, 'Capitalise'.) Much depends on the ‘prompt’, the question one puts to the AI service one is using.
Among my very first questions to AI, (ChatGPT to be precise), was about strangulation. Was it up to speed with the late Professor Keith Simpson? [See: Professor Keith Simpson and Textbook Strangulation] It was not; it gave the standard ‘cornu of the thyroid cartilage’ fracture answer.
That is not necessarily a problem. AI gets its information from what is ‘out there’. If it is not ‘out there’ one cannot expect it to be drawn upon.
Something I am keen to do is interrogate the way in which we study the human body. There is sure to be a great deal of information 'out there' about how that is performed. So I asked the following question (which AI labelled 'Body Process Classification'):
Q: How may the human body’s processes be classified?
A: The human body's processes can be classified into several categories based on their functions and mechanisms. These classifications include:
1. Metabolism: The set of chemical reactions that occur within the body to maintain life, including anabolism (building up) and catabolism (breaking down) processes.
2. Homeostasis: The body's ability to maintain stable internal conditions despite external changes, regulating parameters such as temperature, pH, and blood glucose levels.
3. Growth and development: Processes involved in the physical growth and maturation of cells, tissues, and organs throughout life.
4. Reproduction: Processes related to the production of offspring, including gametogenesis, fertilization, and embryonic development.
5. Movement: Includes voluntary and involuntary movements facilitated by the musculoskeletal system, as well as the transport of substances within the body.
6. Communication: Involves the transmission of signals between cells, tissues, and organs through various systems such as the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system.
7. Respiration: The process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and the environment, including breathing and cellular respiration.
8. Digestion and absorption: Processes involved in breaking down food into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body for energy, growth, and repair.
9. Circulation: The movement of blood and other fluids throughout the body, facilitated by the cardiovascular system.
10. Excretion: The removal of metabolic wastes and toxins from the body, primarily through the urinary, respiratory, and integumentary systems.
These classifications provide a framework for understanding the complex array of physiological processes that occur within the human body.
The list is a fairly standard list. It is not without its uses. One could spend a great deal of time discussing its merits or otherwise. The extent to which this would be a critique of AI or of the information we have made available to it, is a moot point. Therefore, I will not comment further.
