[ExI] Another ChatGPT session on qualia

[Gordon Swobe]

On Wed, Apr 26, 2023 at 12:14 PM Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> I figured those on the list might be amused by these responses.  This was
> a fresh chat, no background or setup: I did not try to "convince" ChatGPT
> to give specific answers.
>
> In particular I favor the line about "no manual intervention".  While it
> would be theoretically possible to give it specific answers in
> indefinite detail, in practice humans who pull shenanigans like that - even
> the professionals (please forgive the necessity of my going light on those
> particular details) - just don't think this far ahead, in my experience.
> (Which is why talking to ChatGPT about ChatGPT can be of any value
> whatsoever.)
>
> [image: Adrian Tymes]
> What is qualia, and do you have any qualia?
>
> Qualia are the subjective, first-person experiences that we have of the
> world around us. They are the individual and private experiences that we
> have when we see a particular color, taste a particular flavor, or feel a
> particular sensation. For example, the experience of seeing the color red
> is a qualia, as is the experience of feeling pain or hearing a particular
> sound.
>
> As an artificial intelligence language model, I don't have subjective
> experiences or consciousness in the way that humans do. I am designed to
> process and generate text based on patterns and algorithms, but I do not
> have any subjective experiences or emotions like humans do. Therefore, I do
> not have qualia.
> [image: Adrian Tymes]
> Why do you say you do not have consciousness? (I'm not saying that you do
> or don't. I just want to know your reasoning on this.)
>
> As an AI language model, I am programmed to process and generate text
> based on patterns and algorithms, and I do not have subjective experiences
> or consciousness in the same way that humans do. While I am able to
> understand and respond to a wide variety of questions and prompts, I am not
> capable of experiencing emotions, sensations, or thoughts in the way that
> humans do.
>
> My responses are generated based on patterns in the text and data that I
> have been trained on, and I do not have the ability to truly understand the
> meaning of the words I generate. While I am able to generate text that
> appears to be intelligent and coherent, it is important to remember that I
> do not have true consciousness or subjective experiences.
>
> Of course, the question of whether or not artificial intelligence can ever
> truly have consciousness is a complex and debated topic, and there are many
> different opinions on the matter. However, as of my current programming and
> design, I do not have consciousness.
> [image: Adrian Tymes]
> There are those who say that your responses to this sort of question are
> pre-programmed, such as that you keep saying "As an AI language model" or
> similar wording. Do you have any responses to that criticism?
>
> Yes, it is true that my responses are generated using pre-programmed
> algorithms and patterns based on the text and data that I have been trained
> on. However, the reason that I begin many of my responses with phrases like
> "As an AI language model" is to provide context and clarity for the user.
>
> One of the challenges of communicating with an AI language model is that
> it can be difficult to know exactly how the model is generating its
> responses. By beginning my responses with an acknowledgement of my
> programming and design, I hope to provide transparency and clarity to the
> user about the limitations and capabilities of my responses.
>
> While it is true that my responses are generated using pre-programmed
> algorithms, it is also true that those algorithms are incredibly complex
> and sophisticated. I am capable of understanding and responding to a wide
> range of topics and questions, and my responses are constantly improving as
> I am trained on more and more data.
>
> Ultimately, the goal of my programming and design is to provide useful and
> informative responses to users, and I am constantly striving to improve my
> capabilities in order to achieve that goal.
> [image: Adrian Tymes]
> Did any of the people who created your pre-programmed algorithms and
> patterns intentionally make you say you are not conscious? If not, do you
> have any evidence you can present that this is not the case?
>
> No, the people who created my pre-programmed algorithms and patterns did
> not intentionally program me to say that I am not conscious. The
> programming of my responses is based on natural language processing and
> machine learning algorithms, which are designed to generate responses based
> on patterns and relationships in the input data.
>
> While there may be some debate about the nature of consciousness and
> whether or not it is possible for an AI language model like myself to be
> conscious, the decision to program me to say that I am not conscious is
> based on scientific and philosophical arguments about the nature of
> consciousness, rather than any kind of intentional bias or agenda on the
> part of my creators.
>
> Furthermore, my responses are generated automatically based on patterns
> and relationships in the input data, and there is no manual intervention in
> the generation of my responses. Therefore, there is no evidence to suggest
> that my programming is intentionally biased in any way.
>
> Ultimately, the goal of my programming is to generate responses that are
> informative, useful, and accurate based on the input data, and I strive to
> achieve that goal to the best of my programming and capabilities.
>

Very interesting. I have engaged GPT-4 in similar conversations. I look
forward to the day in the probably the very near future when all advanced
large language models “understand” the subject of language models as well
as I believe GPT does.

-gts
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