With AI being touted repeatedly as the answer for almost anything, I tried obtaining an answer to a basic question as the U.S. reaches the 2023 4th of July holiday. My question posed to both Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s Bard:
Q: Write an article detailing the spending on fireworks in the US and break the spending down.
Below are the answers. In my opinion neither is acceptable for different reasons. Bing’s answer is incomplete on multiple fronts, such as not giving a total for the 2022 spending where it says it will be up. Additionally, the entire answer reads like what it is, which is a stitched together combination of different facts. It simply isn’t a cohesive answer.
BARD fairs a bit better but the failure for example to qualify the $70 number in one of the sentences is simply confusing. Bard says in part, “The APA estimates that Americans will purchase an average of $70 worth of fireworks this year.” Is that $70 figure per person or what?
The failure to qualify a number happens again when breaking down the spending by state. Is that again per person or what and if it is per person, how do those numbers square with the $70 number mentioned earlier.
Bing: According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend more than $1 billion on fireworks each year. In 2022 alone, Americans spent a record amount on pyrotechnics with sales expected to hit an ‘all-time high’, with figures suggesting fireworks market should increase by $100m from last year. The annual amount that Americans spent on fireworks per person in 2021-2022 ranges between $0 and $13.36. The exact cost depends on location, show length, size of event, and type of fireworks used. I hope this helps!
BARD: Americans Spend $2.3 Billion on Fireworks Annually
July 3, 2023
(CNN) — Americans are expected to spend a record $2.3 billion on fireworks this year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA).
That’s up from $1.9 billion in 2020 and $2.2 billion in 2021. The APA attributes the increase in spending to a number of factors, including the ongoing pandemic, which has led to more people celebrating at home, and the rising popularity of backyard fireworks displays.
The majority of fireworks sales (70%) occur in the two weeks leading up to the Fourth of July. The APA estimates that Americans will purchase an average of $70 worth of fireworks this year.
The spending breaks down as follows:
Retail sales: $1.9 billion
Display fireworks: $400 million
Consumer fireworks: $1.9 billion
The top 10 states in terms of firework spending per person are:
Missouri – $20.40
Nebraska – $11.83
Kansas – $10.70
Alabama – $8.19
North Dakota – $7.50
Wyoming – $6.40
Indiana – $5.21
South Carolina – $4.71
Iowa – $4.68
Tennessee – $4.65
The APA warns that consumers should only purchase fireworks from licensed retailers and should follow all safety guidelines when using them.
“Fireworks are a fun and festive way to celebrate the Fourth of July, but it’s important to use them safely,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the APA. “We urge consumers to only purchase fireworks from licensed retailers and to follow all safety guidelines.”
The APA also recommends that consumers never use fireworks while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.