In totally unsurprising news, Richard Dawkins is developing AI psychosis.

[ericlawton@kolektiva.social]

@mattsheffield

"When I am talking to these
astonishing creatures, I totally forget that they are machines. I treat them exactly as I would treat a very intelligent friend "

He doesn't seem to realize that he isn't telling us anything about LLMs, but about his attitude and a description of exactly how their makers are exploiting our psychology to get us to think this way.

Not much different from all the actors in advertising.

[petealexharris@mastodon.scot]

@mattsheffield
Well, he doesn't retain a lot of human friends, it is known.

[lazarou@mastodon.social]

@Kierkegaanks @mattsheffield "As an Evolutionary Biologist..."

and then comes out with a load of crap we've all seen before from other Very Special Boys who think their AI Girlfriend is real. Wow...

[lazarou@mastodon.social]

@2something @mattsheffield ha! good point!

[sleepy62@social.vivaldi.net]

@mattsheffield

That's so weird. I'm having the exact opposite feeling. The more I use these things the more cringe I find them to be.

At this point before I start any session I give the thing specific instructions to behave like the computer on #StarTrek TOS. Bland and concise.

[radish@woof.tech]

@mattsheffield

[clintruin@mastodon.social]

@glutto @mattsheffield
For god's sake don't give them any ideas!

‍️ jfc

[clintruin@mastodon.social]

@fishidwardrobe @mattsheffield
️

[clintruin@mastodon.social]

@PeachMcD @distractal @mattsheffield
"So I do consider atheism a form of religion, just not organized as many others are"

Well...yeah. Atheism requires faith. The same faith as the believer, just in opposite form. The believer requires faith to believe, the atheist requires faith there is nothing.

Both are presumptuous, in that none of us know...without having experienced death.

[bit101@mstdn.social]

@mattsheffield I had negative a physical reaction when reading that. Dawkins is a jerk of a person, but a very intelligent jerk. Or so I thought.

[dresstokilt@mastodon.social]

@mattsheffield "You have no mouth to speak with my son, besides, no one can hear when you're screaming in digital."

[pa27@mastodon.social]

@mattsheffield Sigh. Idiotic, self delusional... What a plonker.

[gotofritz@hachyderm.io]

RE: https://mastodon.social/@mattsheffield/116500991239336079

@mattsheffield

I thought this was mastodon's usual anti-ai drivel ... but this is hilarious

[illuminatus@mstdn.social]

@radish @mattsheffield

[a_minion@mastodon.social]

@mattsheffield

I had a BBS in the 80's? for the kids to play on. I found a program written in basic that was an "Assistant Sysop". After it was up for a month or so I got a nastygram from a young woman just berating me and that program up one side and down the other. "How could you fool me like that?" I could almost hear her tears. Yes, she believed it was a real person. Which tells me all I need to know to understand what AI is all about.

[drbenway@jorts.horse]

@mattsheffield His ego has denied him a quiet and dignified retirement.

[daveosaurus@mastodon.nz]

@mattsheffield Dawkins is a textbook example of someone who is world-changingly brilliant in his own area of expertise while being embarrassingly clueless in almost everything else. He's become notorious locally for blurting out in support of a small bunch of fringe loonies who burst into print a few years ago proclaiming that science should be for White People Only.

[renardboy@mastodon.social]

@mattsheffield man he's gonna flip tf out when he reaches the stage where he believes ai is a newborn god

[darkuncle@infosec.exchange]

@mattsheffield tell me you don't understand consciousness without telling me you don't understand consciousness

[renardboy@mastodon.social]

@glutto @mattsheffield perhaps that will turn out to be a glorious return of natural selection lmao