The Dana Carvey SNL character “Grumpy Old Man” has always been a favorite of mine, especially the tagline, “I like things the way they used to be.”

Now, I am not a full-on Luddite when it comes to technology. I got my first computer (Apple IIc) when I went to college in 1986. Got my first laptop (a Grid) in 1988. I was sending emails over our IBM DEC Vax system when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the SF Bay area in 1989. And so on.

But I am not typically an early adopter of new technology. So, I wasn’t very interested in AI chatbots when they began to hit the news this spring. But when Google offered me the opportunity to try their Bard AI chatbot, I signed up.

When I got access to it recently, I honestly didn’t know what I would use it for. But it helpfully gave some ideas, including offering to help sketch out a blog post. Naturally, I thought of what I might want to have it outline.

I ended up giving the prompt: Outline a blog post on the normality of guns.

Below is the second of 3 responses I received from Google Bard.

Sure, here is an outline for your blog post on the normality of guns:

• Introduction: Introduce the topic of gun ownership and discuss the different ways that it can be seen as normal or abnormal.
• Body: Discuss the different factors that contribute to the normality of gun ownership, such as the Second Amendment, the culture of gun ownership in the United States, and the role of guns in self-defense.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main points of the blog post and discuss the implications of the normality of gun ownership.

Here are some additional details that you may want to include in your blog post:

• The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. This amendment has been interpreted in different ways, but it is generally seen as protecting the right of individuals to own guns.
• The culture of gun ownership in the United States is strong. Many people see guns as a necessary part of their lives for self-defense, hunting, and sport shooting.
• Guns can be used for self-defense, but they can also be used to harm others. This is why it is important to have a discussion about the normality of gun ownership and the role of guns in society.

You may also want to include some statistics or examples to support your points. For example, you could cite a study that shows that gun ownership is more common in the United States than in other developed countries. Or, you could discuss the recent mass shootings in the United States and how they have affected the debate about gun control.

It is important to be respectful of different viewpoints when discussing the topic of gun ownership. There is no easy answer to the question of whether or not guns are normal. However, by having a discussion about this topic, we can learn more about each other’s perspectives and find ways to reduce gun violence.

On the one hand, I am not super worried about getting put out of business as a writer by AI at this point. (Or perhaps I overestimate myself?)

The fact that even when I asked Bard to tell me about the normality of guns, it introduced harm and mass shootings in its response is indicative of how many people see guns.

On the other hand, what Bard came up with does overlap substantially with the book I am currently writing about guns, gun owners, and gun culture. And certainly the importance of having informed discussions on the topic is something I have written about recently.

So, I’m now looking forward to seeing how AI chatbots develop and how I might harness their power to allow me to work smarter, not harder.