[ExI] text singularity

[spike at rainier66.com]

...> On Behalf Of BillK via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] text singularity

On Wed, 11 Jan 2023 at 23:49, spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> Reason has an interesting take on Vinge’s singularity, by focusing on a particular aspect.  We think of a general AI singularity, but this writer Michael Munger looks at only how ChatGPT and its cousins will impact writing.  He makes some really good points here:
> The Future of GPT4 Chatbot Text Production (reason.com)
>
> I am tempted to steal some of them.
>
> spike
> _______________________________________________


>...Hmmm.  If GPT4 is going to write the best texts ever, who is going to agree that it is the best text ever?
In theory, post-singularity porn stories and porn videos might also be the best ever, but what you think is the best ever might be VERY different from what I think is the best ever.
As one commenter pointed out, GPT4 can't just produce every possible arrangement of words, as that would require more atoms than are in the universe.


BillK

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BillK, I am thinking of the process the author describes, which starts with taking existing classic text, existing internet chatter, the kind of stuff ChatGPT is good at generating, then trying some kind of iterative process to make the ChatGPT-generated stuff look more like something humans like.

On a side note, our local high school Science Olympiad team had an experience that you might find entertaining.  We are going to a competition out in the central valley this weekend, but noooooobody would sign up for the agriculture event, nobody.  This is understandable, because we are likely to face teams who have grown up in places where they have dirty things, such as... "dirt."  Where "plants" grow.  People who live out there know things about dirt, whereas the students who grow up around here know that local companies spend a hundred million dollars to remove a milligram of "dirt" from their fab areas.  Those students know stuff about circuits and electronics and software and nice clean stuff like that, but "dirt" not so much.

So... our students already knew if they signed up for anything having to do with "dirt" they would get their highly-sanitized asses kicked, and no one did.  The team captain insisted we stand a team of two players, because a no-show in SciOly is costly, point-wise.  No one signed up.  So the captain told the team she would just choose a coupla fellers and they would hafta play in that event if no one signed up.  No one did.  So... my son and his buddy were chosen.  They know not from shinola about "dirt" or "plants" but hey, duty calls, so they went to ChatGPT (since both had been fooling with it) and given one week to learn up on the topic, they asked ChatGPT to teach them.  Both are bubbling over about how excellent a teacher it is.

So now... this weekend... we play.  Sunday I will be able to report back on how a coupla guys did, one of whom grew up in a house where our actual home covers most of the lot, and the other grew up on the third floor of an apartment building.  Last Sunday they knew nothing point nada about agriculture.  This Saturday, they play teams where many of the locals make their living using "dirt" and "plants" and such.

Good luck to us.

spike