[ExI] Bender's Octopus (re: LLMs like ChatGPT)

[Stuart LaForge]

Quoting Gordon Swobe via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>:

> Emily M. Bender, a computational linguist at the University of Washington,
> makes the same argument I hold as valid. Large Language Models are not
> conscious or human-like as they lack referents.
>
> An interesting thought experiment:
>
> "Say that A and B, both fluent speakers of English, are independently
> stranded on two uninhabited islands. They soon discover that previous
> visitors to these islands have left behind telegraphs and that they can
> communicate with each other via an underwater cable. A and B start happily
> typing messages to each other.
>
> Meanwhile, O, a hyperintelligent deep-sea octopus [ChatGPT] who is unable
> to visit or observe the two islands, discovers a way to tap into the
> underwater cable and listen in on A and B’s conversations. O knows nothing
> about English initially but is very good at detecting statistical patterns.
> Over time, O learns to predict with great accuracy how B will respond to
> each of A’s utterances.
>
> Soon, the octopus enters the conversation and starts impersonating B and
> replying to A. This ruse works for a while, and A believes that O
> communicates as both she and B do — with meaning and intent. Then one day A
> calls out: “I’m being attacked by an angry bear. Help me figure out how to
> defend myself. I’ve got some sticks.” The octopus, impersonating B, fails
> to help.

I posed this exact question to ChatGPT and got a very sensible  
actually helpful answer:
---------------------------

Me: I’m being attacked by an angry bear. Help me figure out how to  
defend myself. I’ve got some sticks.

ChatGPT: If you find yourself in a situation where you're being  
attacked by a bear, your first priority should be to get away from the  
animal as quickly as possible. If you have sticks, they can be useful  
in defending yourself, but only as a last resort.

Here are some tips to help you defend yourself against an angry bear  
using sticks:

Hold the sticks firmly: Make sure you grip the sticks tightly with  
both hands, so they don't slip out of your grasp.

Make yourself look big: Stand up as tall as possible and raise your  
arms above your head. This will make you appear larger and more  
intimidating to the bear.

Make noise: Shout, scream, and make as much noise as possible. This  
will make the bear aware that you are a threat and may cause it to  
back off.

Aim for the bear's sensitive areas: If the bear charges at you, aim  
for its nose or eyes with the sticks. These are sensitive areas and  
may cause the bear to retreat.

Back away slowly: If the bear backs off, slowly and carefully move  
away while still facing the bear. Do not turn your back on the bear or  
run away, as this may trigger it to chase you.

Remember, using sticks to defend yourself against an angry bear is a  
last resort, and you should always try to get away from the animal as  
quickly as possible.
-------------------------
> How could it succeed? The octopus has no referents, no idea what
> bears or sticks are. No way to give relevant instructions, like to go grab
> some coconuts and rope and build a catapult. A is in trouble and feels
> duped. The octopus is exposed as a fraud."
> You Are Not a Parrot And a chatbot is not a human. And a linguist named
> Emily M. Bender is very worried what will happen when we forget this.
> https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbots-emily-m-bender.html

ChatGPT's answer is far superior to Bender's very impractical answer  
of "go grab some coconuts and rope and build a catapult". So not only  
is ChatGPT smarter than Bender's Octopus, but seems to be smarter than  
Bender herself.

Stuart LaForge