[ExI] More thoughts on sentient computers

Tue Feb 21 16:20:16 UTC 2023

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Tara Maya via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] More thoughts on sentient computers

>…I agree, Spike. One thing ChatGPT is good at is conciliatory language. Sometimes this is annoying, but given circumstances here, it's exactly on point, isn't it?

I was thinking: the main reason it is annoying is that it is better at empathy than I am.  Then I read your next comment:

>…I think people see tools like this as competition instead of what it really is, a new form of the Extended Mind…

Ja.  I think of it as the next step from greeting cards.  Think about it Tara.  Festrunck McGillicuddy’s daughter is getting married.  No idea who that is or where he is known from, but the families have been trading Christmas cards for 40 years, OK send her a check for 50 bucks and a greeting card.  Artificial empathy.  Mass manufactured even.  Hey I do like the economies of scale.

>…People who were angry that the letter was not written by a human saw that human as delegating the task to someone else, like a boss who tells his secretary to write a love letter to his wife…

Heeeeeeehehehehehehehheeeeee…  Cool thx.  I had never thought of that one, but consider back in the olden days, most bosses were men and most secretaries were women.  I can easily imagine a woman could write a better love letter to a wife than a man could.  Women just get some things we boys never understand.  I know it is politically incorrect to say it, but hey, you know me by now.  

Furthermore… a secretary is likely better with words than a manager: the manager was more likely an engineering major, but the secretary is more likely to have a degree in literature.  (Oh Tara I am getting myself into it deeper with each snarky comment (in this crowd I can probably get away with snarky comments about literature degrees.))

>…If instead, people realized that ChatGPT was just a tool, they wouldn't be any more offended by someone using than if the letter were composed on a computer using Microsoft Word instead of handwritten with a quill.

Tara Maya

I went searching around and found that the notion of a learning chatbot is everywhere and even exists, but the original Chatbot creators recognize where it goes if they sell it as personalized software: anyone can train a chatbot which can then be set free to train humans in ways the chatbot makers do not want humans trained.

Tara we are suddenly living in a new day.

I like new days.

spike

On Feb 20, 2023, at 9:07 AM, spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> > wrote:

Why should they apologize?  If ChatGPT can compose a good letter of
encouragement after a tragedy, why not use it?  It’s a resource, and college
students are taught to use all available resources, ja?  I don’t see any
need for apology, and I don’t see any need for the office of whoever
previously was in charge of composing letters of encouragement and comfort
after a campus shooting.  Just use ChatGPT for that, ja?

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