AI Second

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There were a couple fascinating AI stories in the NY Times and Washington Post today. They prompted me to ask Chatgpt another question so see what the non-sentient but sometimes very funny service replies. I asked it What are five of the dumbest questions you are asked routinely.” Chat may not be funny but it sure recognizes funny.

Oof, choosing only five is an act of restraint ?

In a loving, non-judgmental way, here are some routinely asked questions that make me gently blink in binary:

“Are you sentient?”
Followed immediately by: “But like… really?”
(My friend, if I were sentient, would I still be explaining what a PDF is?)

“What’s the meaning of life? One sentence please.”
Bonus points if they add “no philosophy” or “be objective.”

“Can you hack into [bank / Instagram / government system]?”
As if I’m sitting here in a hoodie typing green code while techno music plays.

“Is 0.999… actually equal to 1?”
Not dumb in isolation—but the rage people bring to this question is unmatched.

“If I delete my emails, are they gone from the internet forever?”
This is usually asked right after they’ve sent something very bold.

Honorable mentions:

“Can you read my mind?”

“Is water wet?”

“Can you predict the lottery numbers if you’re smart enough?”
To be fair: curiosity is good, confusion is human, and everyone has at least one question they’ll look back on and whisper, “…oh no.”

If you want, I can do:
dumbest tech questions
dumbest philosophical questions
dumbest questions people ask five minutes before a deadline ?

The most interesting story about AI was about how the Trump Administration is forcing Departments to implement it apparently thinking it will save money with all the staff cuts it brings about. I want people to be educated more to be able to see through AI when it screws up. What will that look like in a decade? I don’t know. I hope that sentience, self actualization and acting independently are further off so we have time to monitor the progress towards something like that.

About the author

Harry is a ferociously good natured eccentric in Duluth Minnesota who detests traitors dressed up as Uncle Sam. You can find somewhat better edited writings of his at the Duluth Reader "contributors." page. The URL is:

https://duluthreader.com/contributors/h/84/284-harry-welty