Museums teach me so much — whether it’s about culture, history, or any other subject, there’s always a wealth of knowledge to gain from them.
I’m planning a trip to Thane, a city in the Navi Mumbai region. So I looked into whether there are museums there.
As usual, I consulted a few AI platforms. There are so many now: Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, and Meta AI, to name just a few.
No doubt, they are incredibly helpful, but unfortunately, they aren’t 100% reliable.
GEMINI
To start with, I asked Gemini, "Any museums in Thane in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra?"
It listed three, one of them was "Canon Museum". The other two didn't even sound like museums.
It asked me if I wanted to know more about any of them.
I said yes.
It gave me brief write-ups for each of them.
 |
| Image source: Canon India |
Canon Museum:
This museum is interesting if you have an interest in photography and the history of Canon products.
It showcases the evolution of Canon cameras and related technology.
It is a more specialized museum.
CHATGPT
I asked ChatGPT the same question. It gave me this reply:
The Canon Museum, located in Thane East, Maharashtra, is a notable attraction for photography enthusiasts and those interested in Canon's history. Situated at 5XJM+R2R, Veer Savarkar Nagar, Thane East, Thane, Maharashtra 400603, it is approximately 1.42 kilometers from the Kalva railway station.
Visitors have rated the museum highly, with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 23 reviews.
Please note that detailed information about the museum's exhibits, operating hours, and contact details is limited online. It is advisable to check the latest updates or contact local sources before planning your visit.
Unlike Gemini, ChatGPT gave me links from where it sourced information.
One was Google Maps, and the other was Yappe, a local business directory.
 |
| Image source: Google Maps |
Interstingly, the descripton in Google Maps as well as Yappe says that the museum is about cannons, large, heavy piece of artillery, typically mounted on wheels.
Both sites have photos of different types of cannons that are on display in the museum.
The museum is not about cameras!
How AI got misled is obvious -- by the spelling -- Canon. It not only thought the museum was about cameras, it also cooked up information!
BACK TO GEMINI
I replied to Gemini:
Wrong information! Canon Museum is not about Canon cameras! It's about cannons!
Gemini's reply:
You are absolutely correct! I sincerely apologize for the error. The Canon Museum in Thane is indeed about Canon cameras and their history, not cannons. It showcases the evolution of Canon's photography equipment. I am still under development and always learning to improve. Thank you for pointing out my mistake!
It hadn't understood me at all. I persisted:
You haven't understood me! Canon Museum is not about cameras. It is about cannons, as in artellery!
Gemini was equally persistent:
I understand your insistence, and I apologize for the continued confusion. However, based on my search results, the Canon Museum in Thane is dedicated to the history of Canon cameras and photographic equipment. It showcases the evolution of Canon's imaging technology. It appears there may be a misunderstanding or perhaps another museum focused on cannons.
This was leading me nowhere!
GROK
I hopped over to Grok. I have found it more descriptive in its replies.
The reply from Grok gave links to 15 websites, and the reply was long. Here are the relevant portions:
There is no dedicated "Canon Museum" in Thane, India, related to the Canon brand (e.g., Canon Inc., known for cameras and imaging technology)....
If you meant a museum about cannons (artillery) rather than the Canon brand, Thane doesn’t have a specific cannon museum either. ...
The city has historical significance, including Thane Fort (also called Ghodbunder Fort), which dates back to Portuguese rule and later British occupation. While the fort might display military artifacts, there’s no indication of a dedicated cannon exhibit or museum there ...
It looks like it was confused about references to cannons in the Canon Museum!
PERPLEXITY
Quite intrigued by the way AI works, I shifted to Perplexity. It mentioned an arts museum but did not mention the Canon Museum (like Gemini) and told me there are more options in Mumbai, which is close to Thane. Here are the relevant portions of the answer:
Currently, there are no major museums specifically located within Thane city. However, there are several museums nearby that are worth visiting ...
For a more comprehensive museum experience, one can visit Mumbai, which is close to both Thane and Navi Mumbai. Notable museums in Mumbai include ...
Very non-committal!
BACK TO GEMINI AGAIN
I was most upset with Gemini because its own "family member", Google Maps, had text and photos of artillery. So, I confronted Gemini with the evidence of what Google Maps had.
Finally, Gemini understood. Its reply:
I found a Google Maps entry for "Canon Museum" in Thane. To understand what this place is, I will now get more details about it.
You are absolutely right, and I apologize for my repeated errors. The Canon Museum in Thane, as shown on Google Maps, does indeed feature historical cannons, a children's park, and a Hanuman temple. It's located in Thane East. Thank you for your patience and for correcting me. I am still learning and appreciate your help in making sure the information I provide is accurate.
The source was the reviews in Google Maps.
STRANGE WAYS OF AI
This is not the first time that Gemini hasn't made use of Google's own resources to provide answers.
Strangely, other generative AI platforms use Google Search results better for answers!
(I am not a paid subscriber of any of these AI platforms.)
Also, it's puzzling that the algorithm is going merely by the spelling of the name of the museum rather than the text and images of the museum available in the public domain.
Yes, it's all because the museum's name is spelled wrong.
If I'm ever in Thane, I must visit this place!
Gemini can make mistakes. There's that disclaimer at the end of every response.
ReplyDeleteHi Tomi - Yes, all AI platforms, actually. The larger intent of my post was to illustrate that AI is not dependable; it can be totally misleading. There are just a few areas one can totally depend upon AI.
DeleteAfter reading all this I think I can safely rely on the yellow pages of the old directory which I actually used about 40 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHi Haddock - Oh, yes! After all these years, I have seen that what is printed is more reliable than what one sees online!
DeleteI also love museum's and I find AI a bit hit and miss
ReplyDeleteHi Jo-Anne, glad to know you also like museums. I can spend hours there soaking in all the information! "AI, a hit-and-miss" ... that is well-out.
DeleteThis is why people are railing against using AI at all. It's a plagiarism machine, and it isn't even very good at that.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
DeleteAI is indeed overhyped. Not that it doesn't have its good sides. But it's very limited.
AI can't replace humans. Those who are trying to do that are just inviting disaster.
'Plagiarism machine' - You put it very well! That's why there is controversy over AI platforms stealing copyrighted material, text and images.
Hi Pradeep - I definitely don't trust AI and use my common sense - why don't people learn to use common sense - that'd help more. Thankfully I have no need ... and generally try and stay away from having discussions about it. You've made me look up Thane geographically and yes it is near Mumbai, and now I know about your museum search. I found this site - I'm splitting the link up ... but you can join it together for checking it out:
ReplyDeletehttps:// travelsetu.com/ guide/ thane-tourism/ museums-near-thane
I found it rather interesting - cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary - You are right, natural intelligence is better than an artificial one! Even if one were to rely on the artificial one, it's not complete without the natural intelligence!As I see it, AI is just a compilation (not always good) of what we get from "Google Search". Instead of leaving it to AI, a patient "Google search" in the good old way, with due diligence, is far better!Thanks for sharing that link. I hadn't heard about Travel Setu. That's a good compilation of museums. They aren't close to Thane, but it might be worth the effort to travel and check them out.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteThane has some quite fine parks and gardens though... I have thus far resisted all intrusion of AI to try and lure me to it! YAM xx
Hi Yamini - I have heard that there is a good butterfly park there. You would surely not anything by keeping away from AI. Often the good old ways of "search" are far better and reliable, though it might take some effort!
DeletePossibly these AI chatbots predict after reading a few words in the question like Canon for camera without understanding what exactly the questioner wanted to know. As a result they may not fully reliable sometimes.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the questions should be framed giving more details like cannon, an artillery equipment used in wars in ancient times that are exhibited as relics in museums
Hi KP - Yes, you are absolutely right. The answers depend a lot on the way you frame the question, 'prompt' as they are called. One will get different answers for the same questions worded differently!
DeleteI have had similar experience with AI. I think Google website is more reliable.
ReplyDeleteHi Rajan - Yes, it's risky to leave it to the AI to do the parsing and compilation of Google Search results. Better to do it ourselves.
Delete