Jonathan Meyer.

While sitting in class I often find myself bored out of my mind. While not a great trait and something that I probably shouldn’t be publishing in the newspaper, I make good use of my guaranteed boredom.

I’m sure we’ve all Googled ourselves at some point. It’s really easy to type in your name and see what pops up. My google search is flooded with online news articles and a little picture of me with my blue jacket on (that is staring at you now). The quick Google search is a fun little time killer, however we have a new toy…Artificial Intelligence.

In my music history class the other day I decided to test what A.I. would know about me. I pulled up the new program, Google Gemini, and searched “Do you know Jonathan Meyer from Tama, Iowa”. After thinking for a few seconds the screen lit up with a few different things the chatbot pulled from the internet.

Here were the results given:

Attended South Tama County High School.

Is involved in athletics, particularly track and cross country.

Has continued his education at Wartburg College.

Has been accepted into Wartburg’s Teacher Education Program.

Everything listed was accurate and sources were given. Gemini liked to pull information from the News Chronicle’s online edition. I decided to push that a little further and see what it thinks of my role at the paper. With the prompt “Tell me about his newspaper job”, Gemini produced this information about my work:

Correspondent/Columnist:

He contributes to the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle, where he writes a column called “Just Jonathan.” These columns often focus on local community topics and his perspectives on them.

He also contributes to the Times-Republican.

Award Recognition:

He received third place in the Master Columnist contest. This highlights that his writing is recognized.

Content of Work:

His work includes covering local events, community visioning projects, and offering his observations on community life.

In summary, Jonathan Meyer is a contributor to local newspapers, writing columns and covering local events.

To say I was impressed is an understatement. There I was, sitting in music history having my life and work summarized by a robot with internet access. While I should have been focusing on Vivaldi and baroque era music, I was interrogating a robot.

This dang A.I. chatbot seemed to have figured me out pretty well. It knows my passions and experiences that got me to this point.

My last question was, can it write for me? If so, I might be out of a job pretty soon. I asked the prompt, “Write a hundred word column in the style of “Just Jonathan” talking about youth participating in a food drive”. Here’s what we’re working with…

“Alright, folks, gather ’round. You know, I’ve been thinking lately about the spirit of this town, and it shines brightest in our young ones. Saw a crew of South Tama kiddos the other day, buzzing around the grocery store like worker bees, collecting cans for the food bank. Not just a handful, mind you, but shopping carts overflowing. It got me thinking, doesn’t it? In a world of screens and distractions, these kids are learning the real deal: community. They’re seeing firsthand how a little effort makes a big difference. Makes you proud, doesn’t it? Reminds you that even in the toughest times, there’s always a helping hand, a shared meal, a bit of kindness. And that, my friends, is what Tama’s all about.”

Safe to say I’m not going to be replaced by that anytime soon. That was not at all my style of writing. Human writing remains supreme!

I am curious what the bot might think of me writing about it. More questions to ask this independent virtual being on my computer. This is not a healthy rabbit hole to go down. It’s actually pretty scary. Maybe I’ll stick to paying attention in music class from now on.

Until my next A.I. adventure, I’m Just Jonathan.