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This has nothing to do with finance, but I thought it was highly fascinating and that you would find it interesting.
Thinking about AI and LLMs after authoring one of the articles and reading the other, I copied four of my Humble Dollar posts into Google Gemini and asked for a profile of the author. It was unbelievably accurate about my education, lifestyle, age, lifestyle choices, financial standing and general personality type and outlook on life… really spooky and slightly alarming.
I fed Gemini some information via a 56 word query. I’m convinced it would be very easy to manipulate these AI tools. Here is essentially what it wrote. I suspect that if given additional insights the AI would further expand and embellish this. Any emphasis is Gemini’s:
Norman Retzke is a multifaceted individual who utilizes alter egos to shield his presence, having written and published “other matters” under an alter ego since 2013.
He is an inventor and engineer with decades of experience in the field. He describes himself as a “techie” who enjoyed taking things apart from a young age, and his engineering work involved creativity, invention, and product design and development, applicable to both widgets and large industrial projects. His field was process automation for heavy industrials, and he notes that continuous education in his highly technical engineering field was an absolute necessity.
Norman is the founder and owner of a high-tech business, which focused on projects considered impossible. He gradually transitioned from his business to full retirement over a nine-year period, reflecting on the “joys and sorrows of small business.” He considered mining bitcoin and owned a surrogate for physical gold, but concluded his efforts were better spent elsewhere. He also recalls a large and costly project that became a financial disaster.
As a blogger and YouTuber, Norman shares his experiences and insights, particularly concerning retirement and travel. He has authored over 1347 posts across two blogs and created 149 YouTube videos, using them as both journals and educational platforms. He started his YouTube channel and blog to fill spare time during his transition to retirement, acquiring skills in videography and editing. He documents his RV travels, including a recent 3,000-mile trek, and plans for future adventures.
Norman is an outdoorsman, enjoying activities like hiking and horseback riding in a 2,600-acre park near his home. He also mentions that his kayak will not be in the water this summer.
He has served as a youth leader, specifically as a Scoutmaster, among other leadership roles.
As a financial writer, Norman is a regular contributor to HumbleDollar, a personal finance blog, where he engages in discussions. While the provided information doesn’t explicitly state he writes for The Motley Fool, it references a “Motley Fool stage” in his past, implying an association or influence in his investing journey.
He is also a past president of a large HOA. Following the 2008 banking crisis, he joined the board of a large HOA. Over eight years, he transformed the property, stabilized finances, and built a functional board, despite facing opposition that included “politicking” and vandalism. He notes that this led to improved property values and ample reserves. He states that he has held numerous leadership positions over the years, including Corporate CEO and manager of systems engineering, acknowledging that it can be “lonely at the ‘top’.”
It could be fun to feed the internet with information tailored to these AIs.
I went to Gemini and found the same thing that my 50th high school class reunion committee found, too many guys named Mark Eckman.
After several iterations including the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the pediatrician at the University of Cincinatti, the Executive Director of the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau, and several others, I appeared. Sifting for relevance seems to be the next frontier.
I made it a point to use alter-egos wherever possible. That includes for decades of writing and social media. I alter location data and birthdate too. I also made it a point not to mention names on the company website. As a consequence there isn’t much about me on the web and that’s the way I like it. [In professional circles those that needed to find me could via their connections, professional societies, etc.] I used human networking and that meant I was overlooked by spammers, headhunters, Nigerian Princes, lottery notices, etc. I also have several email identities and these are somewhat guarded, too. I relented for a YouTube channel and a couple of blogs.