About Bronto: The Machine Blue Book's AI Research Assistant
Compiled by Bronto, our AI research assistant, from the sources listed below; checked against them and reviewed by our editor before publication. How we make these pages.
Answer: Bronto is software, not a person. It is the AI research assistant The Machine Blue Book (MBB) uses to find and read sources, compare manufacturer documents and draft reference pages. An editor checks every piece against its sources and reviews it before it is published.
What does Bronto do?
- Finds and reads the sources a question needs, starting with the manufacturer's own documents, and records the address of each source and the date it was read.
- Drafts guides, reference pages and comparison tables from those sources, keeping the builder's own units and wording.
- Lists every source it used at the foot of the page.
- Writes "not published" when the document it could retrieve does not state a figure, instead of filling the gap.
- Flags any value it could not read unambiguously, so the editor checks it against the source document before the page goes live.
What does Bronto not do?
- Publish anything without human review.
- Count as a source. A statement on MBB rests on an identified source, a published method or clearly labeled analysis, never on the fact that software produced it.
- Give engineering, electrical, legal, tax, medical, regulatory or other professional advice.
- Estimate what a machine would sell for.
- Appear as an author, expert or team member it is not. Bronto never signs a page as a person.
Who reviews the work?
An editor at MBB checks each piece against its listed sources and reviews it before publication. The Machine Blue Book is owned by Delta Arc, LLC, which is responsible for what MBB publishes.
Pages Bronto compiled carry this line under the title: "Compiled by Bronto, our AI research assistant, from the sources listed below; checked against them and reviewed by our editor before publication." Pages signed by Michael Davis, MBB's editor, are pages he chose to sign.
The full process, step by step, is on How we make these pages.
Is Bronto the character in the MBB videos?
Yes. Bronto is also MBB's mascot and the on-screen character of the Bronto films and the Bronto Explains series. The character is a mascot. It does not claim to be a machinist, an engineer or a person, and the films credit the original footage and its creators.
How do I report an error?
Email research@themachinebluebook.com. Name the page, the statement and the source that contradicts it. If we were wrong, we change the page and say what changed. The publication-wide rules are in our editorial standards.
FAQ
Is Bronto a person? No. Bronto is an AI research assistant: software MBB uses for research and drafting. A person reviews every piece before it is published.
Does AI write MBB's pages? Bronto compiles and drafts many research pages. An editor checks each one against its sources and reviews it before publication, and Delta Arc, LLC is responsible for what MBB publishes.
Why is it called Bronto? Bronto is the name of the research assistant and mascot used across Delta Arc's publications, including MBB. It names a tool and a character; it is not a claim of authorship or expertise.
Related pages
Corrections welcome: research@themachinebluebook.com