Do you think better AI will change the way we store files? Meaning basically, right now you make specific folders and ideally nest them so you can locate stuff. But maybe in the future everything just goes in a bin and you say "hey AI, get me that one file about the thing"
@ZachWeinersmith I've found that searching for things like "house" or "cat" in Google Photos does a relatively good job of giving me relevant results already TBH
Only if you're willing to permanently lose some files because the algorithm can't find them. Machine learning isn't some magical miracle juice that can solve all problems. If anything it might be possible to use it to augment existing workflows, not replace them.
@ZachWeinersmith mobile phones already have. A fellow teaching CS students had to teach them about the concept of "nested folders" because a lot of them had never come across the concept before.
@ZachWeinersmith You're assuming the only reason we'll need AI to find files is because we want the file for our own use. I'm perpetually writing scripts that read in data and munge data or spit out data, and I need to point those scripts to a file location. If I don't use my directory structure appropriately, there's nothing AI can do that will make those scripts work.
@ZachWeinersmith it would be cool if AI could point out when I put a file in the obviously wrong place (I do this a lot...), or automatically add and organize tags for me.
I think we're already in the area of just letting apps store files whenever, and I only ever find them via search.
My Google Drive is terribly organized, or maybe it's just futuristic.
@ZachWeinersmith The dream that machines can remove all the responsiblity—for the things we possess—from our lives, while leaving all the benefits, is a fantasy.
We should all be waking up to the fact that trying to escape responsibility is the origin of most of what is wrong with society.
I'd still want to order things a little @ZachWeinersmith but finding the lost, weird kitten photo in a bunch of Location Technical photos in the home of a kitten? Robot, find me a kitten photo I took.
@ZachWeinersmith I've heard reports that the current generation of high school (and college?) students doesn't routinely organize files, or even have a clear mental model of folder/file system structure at all. They almost entirely interact with the "recent documents" lists in individual apps. (This is encouraged by phones and tablets that hide all those details.)
@ZachWeinersmith Solving the problems real people have -- "I'm sorry, Dave, but I think that's an old version. Here's 'Technology Roadmap [Draft-Do-Not-Share] 2023-07-28-final-FINAL.docx' instead."
@ZachWeinersmith In OS/2 that wasn't an issue, as everything was right were you put it, up to the position of the icon within the folder. You even created files by putting them in their place before you opened them.
The current mess started when desktops began dumping files anywhere, using "Download" folders or "Save as" dialogues, and then asking you to organise files after you've lost interest in them.
I'd rather have desktops remember where I put my files than having them searching for them.
@ZachWeinersmith If we were able to describe what we wanted, then I'd agree... but in my experience, most people can't always adequately describe what they want, and this would probably lead to disaster, or at least, a lot of lost data.
@ZachWeinersmith Yes, and AI will say,
Thing? you want me to find a file with "the thing"? Come back to me when you can describe your search with definitive nouns, you inarticulate, smooth brained water bag.
@ZachWeinersmith It'll be a cold day in hell before I stop organizing the files on my computer.
But yeah I can imagine other people doing that. Kind of like how for web browsers, most of us don't use bookmarks anymore and just use the url bar autocomplete.
@ZachWeinersmith You know those posts where someone goes "I have a song in my head that goes 'nah nah, do re doooh' can anyone help?" and then like, a dozen people go "it's this rare Eagles B-side". That, but for file search.
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