Thursday, February 16, 2023

A “conversation” with a chatbot

“I like movies that are realistic. I like movies that are romantic. I like movies that are about us”: from The New York Times, the transcript of a reporter’s two-hour “conversation” with Microsoft Bing’s A.I. chatbot. That's the bot talking about movies. It’s more than slightly unnerving.

As I said to my son this morning, I’ve had it with thinking about chatbots as part of the world I want to live in. A line from Ted Berrigan’s poem “Mi Casa, Su Casa” sums it up: “‘I want human to begin with.’” And thereafter.

Related posts
A 100-word blog post generated by ChatGPT : I’m sorry too, ChatGPT : Spot the bot : Teachers and chatbots : Imaginary lines from real poems : ChatGPT writes about Lillian Mountweazel : Rob Zseleczky on computer-generated poetry : ChatGPT’s twenty-line poems : Edwin Mullhouse fail

[In the poem, the line is in quotation marks: quoted speech?]

comments: 6

Fresca said...

I know AIs are all around us, but I decided after a coupla hours I wasn't interested in chatting with them--will continue to focus on chatting with strangers on the bus.

Michael Leddy said...

People are better!

Fresca said...

And dolls, too.

Michael Leddy said...

Stuffies too.

Slywy said...

Aren't virtual and IVR assistants annoying enough?

What I find unnerving about virtual/IVR assistants is the use of "I" in their programming. "Now, how can I help you?" There is no "I" to help me. It's like a non-visual uncanny valley or something for me.

I find it funny that they can't understand me a significant part of the time, even when I'm saying something as clear and easy to articulate as YES. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

There is no "I" to be sorry or to understand. There is no conscious being.

Grrr.

I may have to post this.

Michael Leddy said...

And if you need to speak a string of numbers (which I’ve had do to countless times managing things for my mom), they never come out right.

A couple of days ago I was plunking a few notes on the piano while listening to a phonebot and it spoke up: “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”