As I notice more and more people use chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude as replacements for human companionship, I was struck by the hollowness that this new trend is. ChatGPT is not only not anyones friend (except perhaps Sam Altman's), it cannot be anyone's friend. There is nothing there to be friends with. No one is actually answering questions, no one is giving advice. There is no one there.
I am reminded of Blade Runner 2049, a world where preferring non-human companionship seems to have become just another sexual preference. Perhaps we are heading towards that world already. But we already know why a toy like ChatGPT seems attractive to those looking for companionship.
As a species, our ability to recognise patterns in nature has played a vital role in the creation of civilisation. The firsthumans saw patterns in weather change and in nature and carved lifestyes out of it that gave rise to migrations, agriculture, and eating habits. But they also saw patterns in the stars and in the behaviour of animals and these gave rise to religious superstitions.
I read recenty in Nicholas Carr' book The Shallows (affiliate link) that in the 1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT coded ELIZA into existence. It was software designed to talk to people like a chatbot and offer them counselling. Weizenbaum found that even small amounts of time spent with the software were enough for people to think of ELIZA as alive and intelligent and conscious. They reported that it could actually understand them. Even his own secretary, who had seen him write the code for ELIZA, fell into this mental trap.
ChatGPT is much more complex pattern than ELIZA and it is not surprising that people are failing to recognise that it is just code without any mind behind it. It's not becasue people are stupid. It's because people are people.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage
Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you’ve become a hero. Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton. Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early. Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com