This is just an off-topic rant... I had an interesting interaction with Amazon's Rufus AI, while buying a cheap outboard engine yesterday. I read all the descriptions but couldn't find any shaft length specifications, so on the sales page lets you ask Rufus a question, I typed "Shaft length".
It replied:
"The VONZOER 3.5HP Outboard Motor has a shaft length of 36.2 inches based on its overall dimensions (14.4 x 8.7 x 36.2 inches).
For an Intex Mariner 3, this shaft length should work well since inflatable boats typically have lower transoms that don't require extremely long shafts. The 36.2-inch overall height includes the motor head, so the actual submerged shaft portion will be appropriate for your boat's transom height"
Ok, that's great, but I keep thinking about this... Here's the thing, I only asked Rufus one question, and it wasn't anything about the "Intex Mariner 3", .... So how did it (Rufus) know I had just completed a purchase from the Intex companies main site (intexcorp.com), and just ordered a Intex Mariner 3 dinghy at a bargain (cosmetic blemishes, but I know and like this model)- and right after that, thought to ask Google AI what the maximum size outboard a Mariner 3 could take, etc... and since the Mercury 4hp I own is too heavy, I needed a cheap lightweight one - which is why I was on the Amazon app buying an engine to begin with.
But the point is, Amazon's Rufus AI already knew when I asked what the engines "shaft size" was, that it was specifically concerning to the Intex Mariner 3 boat requirements, without me even mentioning it.
So just now I asked Google AI if there's any connection between Amazon's Rufus and Google's AI. It says:
"Amazon Rufus and Google AI are not connected in terms of technology, data, or ownership. They are separate, competing generative AI products from different companies."
So then, so how did Amazon know know I had just purchased the Mariner 3 model inflatable boat?
All these companies put "cookies" in your computer that track everything you do.
AI knows as "it" gets it's info from your own computer so it knows what you are asking about. It's scary. The info about what you just bought is in the internet "system" or whatever it is.
Consider this. I go to a website just to check out a product or something. Then I go to Facebook and there's an add in the feeds about the exact product I was on another website about. How did Facebook know? Same thing. The cookie is in my computer and I am on my computer with Facebook and Facebook has a cookie in my computer to track me for potential things to target me with. This is all mind boggling to me and scary also.
And when clearing the history most don't include deleting cookies as then all the sites you are signed into and your computer "remembers" you would be gone and you would have to sign into again. And how often do people actually delete the history? You are being tracked from all angles and what is the answer?, get off the internet!
When I go to a site like Canadian Tire, a department store here in Canada, how do they know where my IP address is? Mine is not where I live as the provider is located elsewhere so Canadian Tire thinks my selected store is in that location but where do they get that info from? Answer, they have their "feelers" in my computer and they know my location, at least the location of the company I am paying for the internet with.
And then when I go to Facebook there come the ads from Canadian Tire!
How did AI know? from your own computer, to answer your question. You are in full view.