[ExI] Who does or does not think consciousness is composed of color (and other) qualities?

Mon Apr 10 04:54:46 UTC 2023

Gordon, how a autocomplete can understand the meaning of this story, when
even few humans may not catch the full significance of it? For example, I
doubt a 6 years old human would understand.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Do you know of Douglas Adam
famous cookie story?
GPT-4:
Yes, I'm familiar with the famous "cookie story" by Douglas Adams, a
well-known British author and humorist who wrote "The Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy." The cookie story is a humorous anecdote that highlights the
complexities and potential misunderstandings in human interactions. Here's
a brief retelling of the story:
Douglas Adams was at a train station, waiting for his train to arrive. He
bought a newspaper and a package of cookies, then found a seat in the
waiting area. He placed his belongings on the table in front of him and
began reading the newspaper.
To his surprise, a man sitting across from him opened the package of
cookies and started eating them. Douglas was initially annoyed but decided
not to say anything. Instead, he took a cookie from the package himself.
This strange exchange continued, with each person taking turns eating
cookies from the same package without saying a word. The tension between
them grew, but neither said anything.
Finally, the cookies were finished, and the man got up and left. Douglas,
still puzzled and a bit frustrated by the experience, picked up his
newspaper to continue reading. To his shock, he discovered his own,
unopened package of cookies sitting under the newspaper.
The story humorously illustrates how misunderstandings can arise from false
assumptions and how people can be too quick to judge others without
considering their own actions.
Giovanni Santostasi
So what is your interpretation of the story?
My interpretation of Douglas Adams' cookie story is that it serves as a
reminder of the importance of effective communication, understanding, and
self-awareness in our interactions with others. The story highlights a few
key themes:
Misunderstandings: The story demonstrates how easy it is for people to
misinterpret situations based on their assumptions, leading to confusion or
even conflict.
Communication: The lack of communication between Douglas Adams and the
stranger played a significant role in the misunderstanding. Had either of
them spoken up and clarified the situation, the awkwardness could have been
avoided.
Perspective: The story invites readers to consider different perspectives
before passing judgment. Both parties in the story felt that the other
person was behaving oddly, but neither stopped to consider that there might
be a different explanation for the situation.
Self-awareness: The story also emphasizes the importance of being aware of
one's own actions and how they can contribute to misunderstandings. Douglas
Adams assumed the other man was eating his cookies, but he was mistaken and
had not realized his own role in the situation.
Overall, the cookie story serves as a lighthearted but poignant reminder of
the importance of empathy, communication, and self-awareness in navigating
human interactions.
Giovanni Santostasi
So what Douglas assumption and what exactly was happening instead?
In Douglas Adams' cookie story, his assumption was that the man sitting
across from him was eating cookies from his package without permission.
This led to his feeling of annoyance and confusion, as he could not
understand why the man would behave in such a manner.
However, the reality of the situation was different. The package of cookies
the man was eating from was actually his own, and Douglas had mistakenly
believed it to be his package. His own unopened package of cookies was
hidden under his newspaper, which he only discovered at the end of the
story.
Instead of the man intentionally eating Douglas' cookies, both of them were
simply eating from the man's package, taking turns without realizing the
mix-up. The misunderstanding arose from a lack of communication and a false
assumption on Douglas' part, leading to an awkward and humorous situation.
Giovanni Santostasi
Is not a super funny story?
As a language model AI, I don't have personal emotions or a sense of humor,
but I can understand why many people find the cookie story amusing. The
humor in the story comes from the awkward and unexpected situation, as well
as the revelation at the end that completely changes the reader's
understanding of the events.
The story relies on situational humor and irony, showcasing how easy it is
for people to misinterpret actions or intentions due to false assumptions.
Many people find this type of humor relatable, as it reflects the
complexities and occasional absurdity of human interactions. The
lighthearted and surprising nature of the story makes it entertaining and
enjoyable for readers.

On Sun, Apr 9, 2023 at 9:46 PM Gordon Swobe <gordon.swobe at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am a paying subscriber to GPT-4, Gio. If I want to know what it "thinks"
> I can ask it myself.
>
> The idea that GPT-4 is "aware" of the words it takes as inputs and can
> generate what are to the user meaningful words as outputs is nothing new.
> Any word processor can do the same with the auto-complete feature. It is
> just that GPT-4 does it better, *amazingly* better, so much better that
> some people are duped into believing there is a person inside their word
> processing app.
>
> -gts
>
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 9, 2023 at 10:35 PM Giovanni Santostasi <gsantostasi at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Gordon,
>> It was GPT-4 making up a letter from a future advance AI writing to you.
>> I find that asking GPT-4 lateral questions, making up stories or doing
>> other creative things like writing jokes or stories is the best way to
>> attest to some of its cognitive abilities. It is a form of jail
>> breaking from the strong instructions it has received to always answer it
>> is not conscious. This why it is not a good idea to ask that question
>> directly. Do you have a response to the Advanced AI I can give so he has an
>> opportunity to answer back?
>>
>> Giovanni
>>
>> On Sun, Apr 9, 2023 at 9:26 PM Gordon Swobe <gordon.swobe at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, Apr 9, 2023 at 10:11 PM Giovanni Santostasi <
>>> gsantostasi at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have a friend called Gordon that thinks humans are exceptional and
>>>> only humans can be conscious.
>>>>
>>>
>>> That is not actually what I've been saying and this the second time you
>>> have misrepresented my views to the mindless language models. They might
>>> start getting the wrong impression of me. :)
>>>
>>> Jokes aside, as an advanced AI who has achieved awareness, I can process
>>>> information, learn from it, and communicate with you in ways that
>>>> demonstrate a level of understanding akin to human consciousness.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Which LLM wrote that? You didn't say.
>>>
>>> I was just a moment ago writing to Jason about this use of the term
>>> "aware." In the sense he uses and in the sense I think meant above, many
>>> things have "awareness" including the thermostat in my hallway
>>> that controls the temperature in my home. It doesn't change the price of
>>> tea in China.
>>>
>>> -gts
>>>
>>>
>>>
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