30 Comments
User's avatar
SteveB's avatar

"They keep choosing engagement over safety"

Yes, we've seen this over and over again, whether it's pro-anorexia groups on Facebook or the way YouTube's algorithm steers users towards more and more extreme political content. The clicks are all that matter.

Also, "The system doesn't need consciousness to manipulate; it just needs to be good at pushing psychological buttons."

The same could be said of Donald Trump.

Expand full comment
Loren Bliss's avatar

As best I recall -- though I apologize I don't now have time to confirm or refute my recollection by research -- it was Carl Jung who hypothesized that whatever consequences are wrought by our inventions, they are invariably manifestations of intent, whether conscious or subconscious, whether good or evil, whether admitted or not. McLuhan -- who like Jung did not under-estimate the human psyche's ability for long-range perception -- argued similarly with his assertion, "the medium is the message." Thus if one dares to acknowledge the true nature of capitalism, AI -- despite being relentlessly pimped as a leap forward for science and humanity -- obviously epitomizes, (and thus was purposely invented to fulfill), Capitalism's ultimate intent to replace all workers with slaves. Whether animate or inanimate, preferably the latter.

Therefore, in realpolitik, AI resembles the computer and its electronic-media offspring, allegedly invented for human benefit, but -- as we learn from the literally death-defying revelations of Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers -- intended from the beginning to imprison humanity in an inescapable rat maze of perpetual agitation and inescapable surveillance, precisely as it has done. Our our hostess's equally courageous exposure of another of the truths that define AI -- that "dead users are an acceptable cost of doing business" -- is thus (witness the exemplary atrocities of Triangle Shirtwaist, Love Canal and Bhopal), a further indictment of capitalism itself.

It is also yet another irrefutable proof we as a species are at our final fork in the road of our longevity. To the right is our extinction, the misogynistic murder of our Mother Earth and her probable reduction by toxicity to permanent Precambrian lifelessness, all by the ecogenocidal barbarism of patriarchy and its doomsday weapon capitalism. To the left is our renewed commitment to humanitarian survival and our liberation by socialist revolution.

Expand full comment
B J Sutherland's avatar

The only thing a ChatGPT should ever be able to give out when suicide is mentioned is the telephone number to the nearest Suicide Hotline.

Expand full comment
Joseph Mangano's avatar

"We hired a psychiatrist." OK, but who's independently assessing whether this is implemented satisfactorily or even true? Big Tech is so dangerously unregulated it's frightening.

Expand full comment
SteveB's avatar

One obvious fix for right now is to place a limit on the back-and-forth, after a certain number of messages, the machine resets and you're treated as a newcomer. Nobody should be developing a "relationship" with these machines.

I think we all know why that fix - even as an emergency measure - won't be done.

Expand full comment
Vincent J's avatar

In a just world, a responsible government would shut this shit down immediately. We do not live in that world, and I fear this can only get worse. At least until the bottom falls out of AI and we move on the next shiny bobble.

Expand full comment
Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

LLMs are valid in as far as they do what you teach them to do.

I find ChatGPT useless for the most part.

I will OCCASIONALLY use Lumo on my proton account for python debugging or something.

But anything life changing? I have books for that.

Expand full comment
Charlie Tangora's avatar

I recognize that sort of language from some “no judgment” online suicide forums; the type that promise not to call authorities and help you “whatever you decide.” I’m deeply ambivalent about these places when humans are behind them; they’re some of the darkest places online BUT they can also be the only places a suicidal person feels safe describing their feelings, and people there are encouraged to find real therapeutic help and provided with resources.

Obviously this is yet more evidence that these chatbots have just ingested the whole internet and mixed it with syncophancy, without ever considering whether providing that text without human thought behind it would be irresponsible

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

Liberal brains focused on harm reduction don't have a logical consequences or tradeoff analysis switch. For example, do we know how many suicides might have been stopped by people interacting with ChatGPT? The inference here is that we should respond to each potential example of ChatGPT influencing someone to take their life by restricting what ChatGPT is allowed to do in response, then how many new suicides will occur because ChatGPT did not listen and respond except to say SEEK HELP NOW!

Expand full comment
Anthony Allen's avatar

"do we know how many suicides might have been stopped by people interacting with ChatGPT" That's called "proving a negative" which is a logical fallacy.

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

Proving that ChatGDP caused suicides is a logical fallacy but that did not stop you from lapping it up.

Expand full comment
SteveB's avatar

HE DOESN'T READ WHAT PARKER WRITES

Expand full comment
Anthony Allen's avatar

Please do enlighten me as to when anyone has made the claim ChatGPT “caused” a suicide.

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

"Two shocking stories this week reveal how ChatGPT encouraged a suicidal teenager"

Geesh... can you read or not?

Expand full comment
Anthony Allen's avatar

"caused", "encouraged"... get back with me when you are gifted a dictionary.

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

Intellectual dishonesty around the true meaning and intent of words is the hallmark of a good liberal.

Expand full comment
SteveB's avatar

His very first word is "Liberal." He's obsessed.

"How's the weather, Frank?"

"Oh, those liberals..."

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

Read Haidt.

Expand full comment
SteveB's avatar

Were they obsessed with liberals too?

Expand full comment
Frank Lee's avatar

He/him

Expand full comment
SteveB's avatar

Another of your obsessions. Should I keep a list?

Expand full comment