AI - Logos Pro - my wish

I signed up for Logos Pro the day it came out and am now past the free trial period. I imagined that Logos AI would have a new search function built into the software to make it possible to ask any biblical research or other questions related to Bible study. For example, I went to Gab.ai an asked it "What is the technical word for the study of words?" I needed to know that term to answer a question for my studies at Redemption Seminary. Gab.ai responded in seconds with "The technical word for the study of words is "linguistics" or "philology." And continued with a much deeper commentary on my question. I asked "What is a pre-critical approach to Scripture?" which I needed clarified to answer another question in my Redemption Seminary studies in Biblical Interpretation. Within seconds I received the helpful answer I needed.

I imagine that the Logos AI team has trained, or is training, Logos with the books in our libraries. If a Logos user has a fairly large library (perhaps over 17,000 books) it would seem that these sorts of questions could be answered from the library. The question is, how do we ask Logos to find the answers to these questions in a simple straight forward way as we can do on other AI systems? Perhaps I should ask, "Will Logos develop the software so that we have access to the power of AI that is available outside Logos?"

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Donovan R. Palmer

I may not be tracking with you, because I am still very much learning how machine learning can be kind of a gps or sat nav of Biblical Studies... it is an aid in critical thinking.

So what I wondered about, was more of a chatbot sort of feature. You can ask the kinds of questions that you are illustrating, then the software gives a short summary answer and lists sources where it draws the question from so that I can study further. Maybe you are thinking different?

For now, it seems that Smart Search does highlight resources and will allow you to get a short summary of each resource that it highlights, but one still has to dig.

The question I don't know is how big of a library do you need to make this really useful? Can a larger corpus of materials on Logos servers drive the chatbot function, but then it outputs the best resources in your library and also additional ones you might want to purchase.

I might be barking up the wrong tree here and/or on a different track suggestion that you wish for, but one thing is clear, there is a lot of potential and we are only at the dawn of this in computer assisted Bible Studies!

MJ. Smith

I imagined that Logos AI would have a new search function built into the software to make it possible to ask any biblical research or other questions related to Bible study.

That is not what Logos is trying to provide. And in most of my experience with the AI chatbots, AI on religious topics is not yet ready for prime time. Logos is applying AI in a more cautious, tried-and-proven way. They have thus far used it to (a) make a search more syntax independent and better prioritize the results (note this is still a SEARCH not a question) (b) to generate summaries of passages (c) to generate questions based on a sermon text (d) to generate applications prompts based on a sermon text (e) to generate illustration prompts based on a sermon text (f) to translate texts.

They have not yet promised or beta tested anything resembling a chat-bot style of AI.

as we can do on other AI systems?

AI is a broad range of computer applications, e.g. as simple as a thermostat, as ubiquitous as recommendations based on browsing and past purchases ...While ChatGPT, Gemini, ... are impressive they can be made to make errors easily e.g. confusing Irish the language with any language of the Irish people, making no distinction between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox to the point of consistently reintroducing the error after being corrected in a chat, labeling theological disputes as controversial and refusing to provide information on them, ... in short, they are useful tools in areas where you know the answers but an unreliable source of new information. It is also my impression that the engines currently available have limitations in the types of applications for which the finances and technical requirements make that type of AI cost effective. I appreciate Logos implementing slowly what is reliable and cost effective.

Note: I use ChatGPT and Gemini regularly to access information I know but am too lazy to write myself. You'll find references to them regularly in my posts. But I also spend a great deal of time, testing its limits ... only to find it unable to add any additional cases to what I have hand-fed it.

An article supporting my pessimistic view re: ChatGPT, Gemini, ... Generative AI's "model collapse" will cause it to poison itself, here's what that means (msn.com)

Sam Shelton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1291986#Comment_1291986

... in short, they are useful tools in areas where you know the answers but an unreliable source of new information.

This is what I have found to be true as well. If I am using AI to find new information, it does not matter how much information the tool may bring back to me; if any of the information is unreliable, it is all useless.

I appreciate Logos implementing slowly what is reliable and cost effective.

So do I. I am most grateful for the effort by Logos to produce AI implementation that I can consider trustworthy. Personally, it is the only way that I would consider using Generative AI in Logos, or for any serious study for that matter.

Without checks and balances for veracity, the idea of Generative AI scares me.

Rich Davis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1291983#Comment_1291983

Thanks Donovan.

Rich Davis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1291986#Comment_1291986

Thanks M.J. - For some reason, I have not had any poor experiences with Gab.ai or even ChatGTP when searching for technical information related to biblical topics. I realize that the danger of misinformation being presented is real, but everything I have done with AI on the Internet has been fast and accurate.

Rich Davis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1292020#Comment_1292020

Thanks Sam - I can appreciate caution in this area. Logos is headed in the right direction and my hope is that it can harness the power of AI to encompass the whole range of biblical research topics and questions. It's not such a problem to go to an AI server like Gab.ai to ask questions and get good responses. Primarily, I just want quick facts or good ideas. If those sorts of things came up from my Logos library, I could easily cite them in any work I am doing for example in my studies at Redemption Seminary.