Dave Cooper and AI

Huh, interesting. I searched for Dave’s name on DuckDuckGo and decided to query their AI feature, “Search Assist”, not expecting much. These were the surprising results:

Dave Cooper was a notable figure associated with Northern Rhodesia, known for his vibrant personality and contributions to the community. He passed away on July 19, 2025, and was remembered fondly by friends and family for his unique character and love for life.

Dave Cooper’s Connection to Northern Rhodesia

Background

Dave Cooper was a notable figure who had a deep connection to Northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia. He spent his childhood in Kitwe, where he developed a passion for exploring the local wildlife and nature.

Recent Events

Dave Cooper passed away peacefully on July 19, 2025, in the Netherlands. His life was marked by a vibrant personality and a love for the natural world. He was remembered fondly by friends and family for his unique character and the impact he had on those around him.

Memorial Plans

Cooper’s remains were cremated on July 22, 2025. In a tribute to his enduring friendships and shared passions, his ashes will be scattered in Québec, which he considered his second home. This ceremony reflects his connection to both his past in Northern Rhodesia and his later life experiences.

Legacy

Cooper’s legacy includes his love for nature and the memories he created during his time in Northern Rhodesia. His story is a reminder of the rich history and personal narratives tied to this region.

I find it interesting that this was created based on only my own personal website — where Dave is only mentioned once (making him “notable”), in his obituary yesterday — and on the Great North Road website where there is currently only a placeholder page and a link to a PDF document he created based on an original document from 1936 which, of course, isn’t about him!

I think there was a lot of interpolation by AI and, of course, some nice, trite words based on AI’s understanding of what recent death means to us humans. I wonder what the output from an AI will be tomorrow based on the addition of this string of text to its corpus. (Interestingly, Google’s search results don’t include any AI output, at least not for the same search string.)

Dave Cooper according to AI.