Software Priority Update: 23-PU1024-6CH-AUD - Refined Audio

[rugedraw]

@rugedraw. Thanks as always for the very helpful info. I will put it to good use! One remaining item that would still be interesting to know is whether the frunk needs to be closed for any type of update. Would that be included as a "door" as the MS Copilot advice attempts to infer for Inhibit Mode where all doors should be closed?

I took your first sentence, "Not needed for an OTA for EV's" to refer to the need for a power supply, not whether the frunk can remain open.

I would keep it closed. The parking brake doesn't matter, but close and lock it.

Correct; I was referring to the power supply in that statement.

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[Jim Lewis]

Thanks for the API advice. OTH, reading between the lines in @rugedraw's advice, he doesn't mention (maybe an omission?) closing the frunk for programming multiple updates with FDRS using a power supply - or perhaps FDRS programming is just different than OTA updates that require Inhibit Mode.

On your view to not use MS Copilot advice for anything, I have to disagree with you. I've used it extensively. It's not foolproof and occasionally gives ridiculous advice (AI hallucinations), but it usually gives the source of HUMAN information, as in the example I provided, and if you exercise due diligence, you can check it out yourself and consider the reliability of the sources, as you would do with any search on this forum or the Internet in general.

I also pay $20/mo for the MS Copilot Pro subscription. That basically gives you more access to the more recent higher-powered, more accurate versions of ChatGPT-derived AI LLM (as you go from ChatGPT 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, etc., the datasets have gotten larger and larger, and a byproduct of that has been the answers have gotten "more intelligent"). There is also a slider in my interface where I can choose to have the answer more "creative" or more "precise." The one thing missing from the interface is some statistical indication of how reliable the AI considers the answer it is providing. That should be provided, IMHO.

But I'm highly educated. B.S. and Ph.D. from some of the leading scientific institutions in the country (B.S., MIT; Ph.D., UC-Berkeley), a lifetime of scientific and technical experience (I'm also a CHP Emeritus). I find the answers that Microsoft Copilot gives on subjects on which I'm knowledgeable pretty accurate most of the time - and as the NY Times and other organizations have found, often copied in verbatim tracts right from the human source - the NY Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement - that ought to be one of the legal cases of the century if it ever comes to trial.

We also recently had our driveway, all our sidewalks, and reinforced concrete front steps redone (2300 sq. ft. of reinforced concrete or ~30 cubic yards). I used Copilot extensively to get information on concrete construction and cost estimates for work done in San Antonio. I compared the answer Copilot was giving me to information that contractors were supplying, and the AI-provided information agreed very well with the estimates and technical information contractors provided me for concrete PSI, slab thickness, additional footing, aggregate composition, basically nailing the lowest and highest estimates I might expect in San Antonio, TX. Copilot repeatedly cited Angi's List (owner of Home Advisor) as the source of pricing information in my area. It illustrated in detail how it arrived at any particular pricing estimate and would break down the cost of removal of the old flatwork vs. the cost of installing the replacement flatwork in detail if I wanted.

When you do an Internet search, you're taking the same risk on reliability. Why does a particular search come to the top? Is someone paying Google (or Microsoft) for search positioning, or have they figured out how to scam the system? The thing about "AI" is it "understands" more precisely what you're asking and draws on its sources to provide a more direct answer, rather than just leaving you with a long list of hits that you have to wade through and find where in each article there is some sort of connection to the subject matter you searched on.

AI searching is certainly more costly to the providers than the standard old-fashioned Internet search - it consumes an order of magnitude at least more resources. I've noticed more product ads being delivered with AI answers - so if there's anything to fear, just as with plain-old Internet searches, I'd worry that commercialism will skew the answers provided. But I predict that as time goes by, more and more Internet searches will be AI-based, as that type of search will provide more direct and cogent answers to the questions asked.

A basic fact of life is few humans will want to read all the posts on the Lightning forum or wade through all the hits provided in the standard forum search interface. Microsoft apparently has bots regularly scanning this forum, and the AI interface does a pretty good job of finding forum posts and threads that address questions I pose to the A.I. So whether I want to believe the A.I. answer itself, at least the AI search typically provides a good place to start reading about a topic of interest on the forum, better than the forum's own search process.

 

[Jim Lewis]

P.S. For anyone who wants a truly authoritative explanation of the pros and cons of LLMs like ChatGPT, I recommend the following (taken from an e-mail I sent a troglodyte acquaintance of mine a while back):

Andrej Karpathy, one of the world's top AI experts (head of Tesla's self-driving car technology efforts, one of the founders of OpenAI, a former Stanford faculty member, etc.), provides a much more detailed explanation of how large language models work. He has some impressive demonstrations roughly in the middle of the video of what large language models can do. The video is at a college-educated, scientifically-minded person's level.

THE BUSY PERSON'S INTRO TO LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS

Karpathy also illustrates the shortcomings of LLMs and explains in the end how they've been hacked and have security risks that need to be addressed.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Looking back on an update failure notice received 12/13/23, it does say that all vehicle openings should be closed to process an Inhibit Mode update, including the "boot/liftgate" and "bonnet" (must have been written by the U.K./European division of Ford!).

As far as the reliability of AI goes and some forum members' knowledge/comments on the subject:

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/29/science/ai-weather-forecast-hurricane.html

 

[bmwhitetx]

Looking back on an update failure notice received 12/13/23, it does say that all vehicle openings should be closed to process an Inhibit Mode update, including the "boot/liftgate" and "bonnet" (must have been written by the U.K./European division of Ford!).

Yep, that’s what I was remembering. Thought I had that screenshot as well but couldn’t find it. If you’re 12V is charged sufficiently you should be fine to just let it update overnight on its own.

 

[rugedraw]

@Jim Lewis I do believe that AI can provide useful and accurate info on subject matter I know nothing about. On this kind of stuff, I'll trust my experience and that of you-know-who before some software that is really good at internet searches. I say that loosely and with no intent to insult you or the people that came up with AI. I've read the AI responses you've posted word for word and I agree the info is pretty damn solid.

Trunk/Frunk closed for OTA's. FDRS not so sure. I've always done it with the trunk/frunk closed. However, I doubt FDRS will ask me to close the trunk before it will install an update if I were to try it with it open.

 

[Shawnson]

This is the first audio update I’ve gotten; bought a 23 lariat er in April of this year

Haven’t noticed a major audio update, however upon receiving it my front power train stopped working and I was down to 56% power. So major panic attack- taking my first family road trip in 2 days

It seems likes it’s back on now (an hour or so later) so who tf knows

Happens to us all. It just fixes after it takes a nap. Updates really tire out that front motor.

 

[Jim Lewis]

If you’re 12V is charged sufficiently you should be fine to just let it update overnight on its own.

Thanks to you and rugedraw for advice. The AUD update worked the 2nd time around (only took 2 days to show up again on the FordPass Home screen). I charged up the LVB to about 77% (12.45V across the jump points) using a Noco Genius2, then ran the vehicle in full-accessory mode hooked up to my FCSP until Car Scanner read the LVB at 81% SOC. Closed the frunk, shut off and exited the vehicle, locked all doors, and turned off my iPhone BT. Took longer than the 7 minutes promised. I'm no audiophile, and the truck wasn't trundling noisily down the highway, but even in stereo mode, the sound seems less out of the center dash speaker than before. The rear speakers still seem weak from the driver's seat, but the sound is slightly more spatial in SURROUND mode vs. STEREO (never tried SURROUND before, AFAIK). I mainly listen to FM radio and the update didn't appear to do much for background static from poorly received channels. Alas!

 

[Jim Lewis]

Neither MS Copilot nor Google Gemini can capture and summarize the content of community forum threads (yet) on an ad hoc basis upon user request.

But with MS Copilot, you can summarize the contents of a lengthy Microsoft Word document (within token limits). Just for laughs, here's how MS Copilot summarizes the contents of the 6 preceding thread web pages on the PRIORITY AUD update copied into an MS Word document. The AI process probably ignored the contents of any images or attachments as it is only a textual summary of word content:

Here's a summary of the document:

The document contains a forum discussion about a software update for the Ford F-150 Lightning, focusing on audio system improvements and various user experiences with the update. Users share their issues, observations, and suggestions related to the update process and its effects on their vehicles.

• Audio System Issues and Improvements: Several users discuss the presence of static noise and hope that the update will resolve these issues. Some report no background noise problems, while others note faint static or specific issues with certain speakers.1,2
• Update Effects on Vehicle Functions: Users mention different impacts of the update on their vehicles, including changes in sound quality and unexpected changes in vehicle functions like the gear shifter behavior and heated seats.3,4
• Installation and Update Process: Many users share their experiences with the installation process, noting both successful updates and failures. Some users had to use specific methods or additional tools to complete the update.5,6
• Reactions to Update Outcomes: Reactions to the update outcomes are mixed, with some users noticing improvements in audio quality and others not perceiving significant changes. A few users report new issues arising after the update.7,8
• Technical Discussions and Suggestions: Participants engage in technical discussions about the update process, sharing suggestions on how to manage updates and troubleshoot issues. Some users provide detailed advice on using tools like FDRS and power supplies during updates.9,10
• Feedback on Ford's Update Communication: There are calls for better communication from Ford regarding update details and build notes. Users suggest that more transparency could help in understanding and managing updates effectively.11,9

@TaxmanHog, I probably already know the answer to this, but is it a violation of forum rules to recursively download the contents of a thread to make an AI summary using a tool like Wget?*** Alternatively, maybe this set of forums is flush enough to consider adding such a feature that periodically generates a running summary of what's going on in each thread.

For folks who haven't taken notice on Amazon, such a summary feature might be similar to what Amazon offers for customer reviews of its better-selling product offerings, e.g., Flexzilla 5/8" x 100 ft Garden Hose:

Customers say

Customers like the durability, performance, and quality of the hose. For example, they mention it's well-made, does well, and is easy to use. That said, opinions are mixed on kinks and ease of use.
(AI-generated from the text of customer reviews)

*** there are several ways to download or accumulate the contents of a thread on a community website. Here are a few methods:

1. Wget: This is a free utility available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, which you can use to download files from the internet. You can use it to recursively download all the pages and files that a page links to. Here is an example command:
   wget -r --no-parent http://example.com/songs/
   
   The -r option tells wget to download recursively, and --no-parent restricts wget from navigating upwards to the parent directory2. You might need to adjust the command to handle login sessions, avoid downloading too quickly, or masquerade as a browser.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Could we stick to the core topic about the UPDATES and whether you got it or not.

 

[sfringer]

I received this today (according to FordPass), though I got the notification pulling into the driveway last night and initiated the update as I exited the truck.

 

[RyZac]

Got this update today.

Not sure how it could be the latest update and I still don’t have my mph sign moved yet

I don't think updates happen in order. I just got the AUD update last night but 6.4 is the last numbering update I've received. This is my first update since CHG4 on July 3rd. The month of June I had roughly 6 updates.

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