Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Metal Detectors

[LawrencetheMDer]

I imagine somewhere someone is building an AI metal detector. Combining AI with metal detectors (AIMD) might/could/will change metal detecting as we know it. The advent of AIMD will be a shock to the field, somewhat similar to when metal detectors first became relatively easily available and swept beaches clean in the 60s and I believe as early as the 1930s. Everyone would be an expert in the use of such simplified machines. Yikes!

AI algorithms are already readily available (e.g., ChatGPT) and are large language models and are trained on, basically, all the words on the internet or on a particular company’s sales force text database. Theoretically, such algorithms could be trained, not on words, but on parameters specific to the electrical field properties, at different frequencies, of the output of metal detectors. Training would involve not words but say 2000 gold rings (specifying weight, size, ct) to train the AIMD on such rings. Next training would involve, say, various coins, again 1000s of them. Next training would involve pull-tab, then push-tabs, then their various parts. Lets’ not forget those pesky bottle caps, again we’d need 1000s of them. But once done, what a heck of a detector we would have.

AIMDs will differentiate pull tabs and push tabs from gold and silver rings. Imagine no VIDs, no 2-D images, perhaps no screen at all! The AIMD would simply state “gold ring”, “quarter”, “pull-tab”, etc, when the coil went over the target. And unlike the early metal detectors of the 1970s or 1980 (?) that would specify “coin”, for example, AIMDs would be deadly accurate, say 99% or, ok, 98%.

Well, off to hunt. Gotta find those gold rings before AIMD finds them all. The availability of AIMDs would cause me to become an “Early Adopter”, first time in my life.

Happy Hunting

 

[Southwind]

I think A.I. will be a game changer for metal detecting. You swing your coil over a possible target, and if you're lucky, you see 1/3 of the VDI numbers used to help determine a possible ID. An algorithm on a chip can see those 30 swings and in a split second take the real-time ground conditions, EMI, and other factors, and calculate a far more accurate possible target ID. It can suggest your optimum coils, and settings and alter tones making even a novice able to run their detector at expert levels. That is where the real fear of A.I. is.

All of us old-timers with 40+ years swinging a coil will have very little advantage over someone who bought their first detector.

 

[Listener]

If it can wade through foil, pull tabs, & can slaw, I want one and they will sell plenty.

 

[DWerk]

Has anyone tried MS CoPilot for detecting questions, seen what type of answers you get and figure where CoPilot actually gets the answers from? Interesting, the answers all come from these forums!

 

[IDXMonster]

The root of all AI is indeed a human mind...I don’t see machines becoming self aware ever. We are completely analog which is a trait that computers cannot achieve by their very nature. I think in general AI is completely overblown when talked of in the context of it ever replacing a living creature with a soul. Is it useful other places? Probably. Taking over the world? I’m not seeing it.

 

[Nauti]

Problem is there will ne nothing worth finding left.If a detector is that good everybody will jump on the bandwagon and clear every beach and every field of good finds.At leat at the moment a bit of skill and experience is needed to be successful.......isn't that part of the enjoyment of the hobby........we can still rely on people missing targets because they haven't got a clue what they are doing with the myriad of programs on their machines and that is how I hope it stays.I don't want to become part of this ever sterile world where you don't have to think about what you are doing.......we just become part of the machines.

 

[Smigo]

...we just become part of the machines.

 

[professor-tones]

I imagine somewhere someone is building an AI metal detector. Combining AI with metal detectors (AIMD) might/could/will change metal detecting as we know it. The advent of AIMD will be a shock to the field, somewhat similar to when metal detectors first became relatively easily available and swept beaches clean in the 60s and I believe as early as the 1930s. Everyone would be an expert in the use of such simplified machines. Yikes!

AI algorithms are already readily available (e.g., ChatGPT) and are large language models and are trained on, basically, all the words on the internet or on a particular company’s sales force text database. Theoretically, such algorithms could be trained, not on words, but on parameters specific to the electrical field properties, at different frequencies, of the output of metal detectors. Training would involve not words but say 2000 gold rings (specifying weight, size, ct) to train the AIMD on such rings. Next training would involve, say, various coins, again 1000s of them. Next training would involve pull-tab, then push-tabs, then their various parts. Lets’ not forget those pesky bottle caps, again we’d need 1000s of them. But once done, what a heck of a detector we would have.

AIMDs will differentiate pull tabs and push tabs from gold and silver rings. Imagine no VIDs, no 2-D images, perhaps no screen at all! The AIMD would simply state “gold ring”, “quarter”, “pull-tab”, etc, when the coil went over the target. And unlike the early metal detectors of the 1970s or 1980 (?) that would specify “coin”, for example, AIMDs would be deadly accurate, say 99% or, ok, 98%.

Well, off to hunt. Gotta find those gold rings before AIMD finds them all. The availability of AIMDs would cause me to become an “Early Adopter”, first time in my life.

Happy Hunting

You might have to wait another century at least for such a detector.

 

[autopilot42]

Problem is there will ne nothing worth finding left.If a detector is that good everybody will jump on the bandwagon and clear every beach and every field of good finds.At leat at the moment a bit of skill and experience is needed to be successful.......isn't that part of the enjoyment of the hobby........we can still rely on people missing targets because they haven't got a clue what they are doing with the myriad of programs on their machines and that is how I hope it stays.I don't want to become part of this ever sterile world where you don't have to think about what you are doing.......we just become part of the machines.

 

[MuddyMo]

Problem is there will ne nothing worth finding left.If a detector is that good everybody will jump on the bandwagon and clear every beach and every field of good finds.At leat at the moment a bit of skill and experience is needed to be successful.......isn't that part of the enjoyment of the hobby........we can still rely on people missing targets because they haven't got a clue what they are doing with the myriad of programs on their machines and that is how I hope it stays.I don't want to become part of this ever sterile world where you don't have to think about what you are doing.......we just become part of the machines.

You might have to wait another century at least for such a detector.

I don’t see it happening, at least for a long time. They’re successfully selling detectors for over a grand and with less coins and jewelry (used and to be found) I don’t believe it will be considered. For now the cost would be way to high and they wouldn’t have the sales to make any profit which is their only desire.

 

[targits]

Think the next XP,machine will be a gpr machine

 

[Wild Willy]

If AI does what some think it will do in detectors I see a bunch of old fat men and women looking for what's left like a rusty nail. At age 87, detecting gives me a lot of exercise just getting up and down on iffy targets. Actually getting down is easy, it's the getting up that's the hard part.

 

[kevinnc]

I wouldn't put much hope in that. AI is nothing without an internet connection. It just processes information already put out there by humans. It can be wrong if the information is wrong. All BS.

 

[targits]

The tech has gone as far as it can ,so something else will take its place as the state of the art always moves on or we would be watching valve TVs still and valve radios

 

[david.di]

AI will build a metal detector that researches for the site to use it on , finds the buried goods , that are anygood and worth digging , digs them up and then serves us a cold beer in the comfort of lounge chairs.....