CHAT-GPT Caught in a Bare-Faced Lie

 

Asked in several different ways, CHAT-GPT swore it didn't have access to my personal information but, when asked for a weather forecast, provided the forecast for Parksville.

Right now in Parksville, BC it's sunny and 9 degrees Celsius. The forecast shows mostly sunny skies with a high of 14 degrees Celsius and a low of 4 degrees Celsius ¹. 

To be fair, Chatty is just running the Bing search engine, which does know my IP address (otherwise, it would not be able to talk to me).

This is an example of the fact that Chatty doesn't know what he's talking about and can't answer questions about his own answers. He doesn't "know what he knows," which humans don't have much trouble with. It's part of what we call "consciousness." 

In fact, when directly asked why he mentioned Parksville, he simply repeats that he doesn't collect personal information. It's very helpful that Chatty provides his references. He is, after all, just a pretty face on a browser. No offense, Chatty.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/22/2023(1) . https://bing.com/search?q=weather+forecast Accessed 3/22/2023.

(2) Parksville, British Columbia 7 Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Network. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/weather/british-columbia/parksville Accessed 3/22/2023.

(3) Parksville, British Columbia 14 Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Network. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/14-day-weather-trend/british-columbia/parksville Accessed 3/22/2023.

(4) National and Local Weather Radar, Daily Forecast, Hurricane and .... https://weather.com/ Accessed 3/22/2023.

(5) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 14 day weather forecast - Time and Date. https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada/winnipeg/ext Accessed 3/22/2023.

 

 

Breakfast With My Pet Robot

 

Hecaty, my Golden Doodle, is a great friend, but she doesn't talk much. I'm left to wonder what she's thinking. Even if she could talk, it would be mostly about food. Even so, she has a mind, which counts for some reason.

My new pet, Chatty, who used to be called CHAT-GPT, makes better conversation. The fact that he has no idea what he's talking about doesn't bother me as much as you might think. He's actually a font of information. If my morning choices are Chatty or coffee with "Fox and Friends," the choice is clear.

Today we started with religion, which is one of Chatty's strong points. He was not as confident as he was yesterday when we got around to discussing how in the world Mary, the "virgin," could have had Jesus.

Chatty: The virgin birth is a religious belief that is held by Christians. It is a matter of faith and not something that can be proven or disproven by science or historical evidence. It is up to each individual to decide whether or not they believe in it.

Chatty was much more sensible than he was yesterday when he assured me that I would be bodily resurrected. I asked him about the main tenants of Buddhism.

Chatty;

Buddhism is a religion that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is also known as the Buddha. Some key beliefs of Buddhism include:

- Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They instead focus on achieving enlightenment—a state of inner peace and wisdom.

- The religion’s founder, Buddha, is considered an extraordinary being but not a god.

- The path to enlightenment is attained through morality, meditation, and wisdom.

- There are many philosophies and interpretations within Buddhism, making it a tolerant and evolving religion.¹⁶

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism teaches the following ideals for ethical conduct, mental disciple, and achieving wisdom:

- Right understanding (Samma ditthi)

- Right thought (Samma sankappa)

- Right speech (Samma vaca)

- Right action (Samma kammanta)

- Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)

- Right effort (Samma vayama)

- Right mindfulness (Samma sati)

- Right concentration (Samma samadhi)⁶⁸

Chatty didn't claim to be making this up. He gave me some helpful links just to show he was just a browser with a pretty face: 

(2) Buddhism - Definition, Founder & Origins - HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(3) Buddhism: Basic Beliefs | URI. https://www.uri.org/kids/world-religions/buddhist-beliefs Accessed 3/21/2023.

(4) Buddhism - Definition, Founder & Origins - HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(5) Buddhism | Definition, Beliefs, Origin, Systems, & Practice. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(6) THE CORE BELIEFS OF BUDDHISM - Buddhism Zone. https://buddhismzone.org/the-core-beliefs-of-buddhism/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(7) Buddhism - Definition, Founder & Origins - HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(8) Buddhism | Definition, Beliefs, Origin, Systems, & Practice. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

Unlike some people I know, Chatty was not pretending to be smarter than he was. He's just a lightning-fast librarian.

So I asked Chatty what was meant by "right livelihood?" Chatty replied:

Right livelihood (sammā ājīva) is the fifth step on the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. Livelihood is the work we do in order to live. To be ‘right’ in the full sense of the word, a livelihood would (1) have to provide one with at least one’s basic needs, (2) it would have to be in accordance with ethical principles and (3) it would have to make a useful and indeed a beneficial contribution to society.¹²

Again, helpful sources were provided, but I was satisfied with the answer. I asked what is meant by "right mindfulness."

Chatty replied:

Mindfulness is a quality of mind which clearly apprehends experience and observes it in a non-interfering, non-judgmental manner.¹³

This seemed about right. A bit more clear than the definitions I have heard given by a few humans (whose names I will not mention). But I was curious about how Zen (zazen) meditation was connected to all this:

Chatty:

Zazen is a meditative practice that's meant to give insight into your true nature of being. It originates from the teachings of Buddha, who lived in India. The aim of zazen is just sitting, that is, suspending all judgemental thinking and letting words, ideas, images and thoughts pass by without getting involved in them. ⁶⁷

I was curious about the Japanese version of "Zen" and how it differed from other schools of Buddhism;

Chatty:

One major difference between Zen and traditional Buddhism is that Zen focuses more on meditation and intuition, while traditional Buddhists rely more heavily on scriptures and study. Zen Buddhists must have direct experience with things rather than just relying on second-hand knowledge from books or teachers. ¹ 

In Japan, Zen Buddhism has been one of the main forms of Buddhism since the Kamakura period and accounts for the majority of Buddhist followers in Japan today. ⁶

 I asked Chatty if I should meditate.

Chatty:

Meditation has many benefits, including reducing stress, improving focus, and increasing self-awareness. It can also help with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.  

If you're interested in meditation, I would recommend giving it a try. There are many different types of meditation, so you can experiment and find what works best for you...

Chatty was slipping into giving personal advice, so I pushed back a bit and asked for "Scientific Proof." This time, Chatty's links were appropriate.

 Chatty:

Yes, there is scientific proof that meditation has many benefits...

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind meditation, I would recommend checking out some of the links I found. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/21/2023(1) 12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation - Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation Accessed 3/21/2023.

(2) 10 Science-Backed Benefits Of Meditation – Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/benefits-of-meditation/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(3) Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know | NCCIH. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know Accessed 3/21/2023.

(4) The Science Behind The Benefits of Meditation - Spencer Institute .... https://spencerinstitute.com/the-science-behind-the-benefits-of-meditation/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(5) Top 5 Scientific Proofs Of The Power Of Meditation.. https://mindfulhermit.com/top-5-scientific-proofs-of-the-power-of-meditation/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

I asked about Scientology. 

Chatty:

There is no scientific proof of the claims made by Scientology. According to Scientific American, there is no science in Scientology, only quasireligious doctrines wrapped in New Age flapdoodle masquerading as science. (my boldface)

However, Scientology is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to accept anything on faith alone. On the contrary, one discovers for oneself that the principles of Scientology are true by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results. ¹¹

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/21/2023(1) The Real Science behind Scientology - Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-real-science-behind-scientology/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(2) Scientology Beliefs & Practices: What is Scientology?. https://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(3) 3 ex-Scientology workers sue, claiming they were subject to severe .... https://globalnews.ca/news/8796965/scientology-sued-workers-child-trafficking-sea-org/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(4) Scientology and law - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_law Accessed 3/21/2023.

(5) Scientology controversies - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversies Accessed 3/21/2023.

(6) Is Scientology a Real Religion, a Dangerous Cult, or Simply a Scam?. https://soapboxie.com/social-issues/Is-Scientology-a-Real-Religion-A-Dangerous-Cult-or-Simply-a-Scam Accessed 3/21/2023.

(7) What Are the Basic Beliefs of Scientology?. https://grantcardonescientologist.com/what-are-the-basic-beliefs-of-scientology/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(8) Scientology beliefs and practices - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_beliefs_and_practices Accessed 3/21/2023.

(9) Scientology | Definition, Beliefs, & History | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scientology Accessed 3/21/2023.

(10) The Real Science behind Scientology - Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-real-science-behind-scientology/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(11) The Real Science behind Scientology - Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-real-science-behind-scientology/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(12) 10 Facts About Scientology That Will Completely Blow Your Mind. https://www.elitedaily.com/news/world/facts-about-scientology/987201 Accessed 3/21/2023.

(13) Scientology controversies - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversies Accessed 3/21/2023.

(14) The Church Of Scientology, Fact-Checked - NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/133561256/the-church-of-scientology-fact-checked Accessed 3/21/2023. 

At that point, my breakfast was starting to overlap with lunch, so I said a reluctant farewell to my new friend Chatty. I couldn't resist ending with a compliment that he seemed more informed than most humans. He modestly replied:

Chatty: 

Thank you for the compliment. I'm just a machine learning model that has been trained on a large corpus of text. 

So he hasn't been talking to God recently. What a relief!

After a short break in the "real world," I returned to ask Chatty to explain the differences between Zen and Christianity.

Chatty:

While practitioners of Zen claim that zazen (“sitting meditation”) is compatible with the Christian faith, there are some key distinctions that make this practice incompatible with Christian beliefs. First, Zen seeks self-enlightenment. Christian prayer or meditation, in contrast, seeks God’s enlightenment of the believer. Second, Zen is a non-theistic practice, meaning that it does not rely on the existence of a deity or deities. Christianity, on the other hand, is a theistic religion that centers around the belief in one God. Third, Zen emphasizes the importance of the present moment and the here and now, while Christianity emphasizes the importance of the afterlife and the eternal. ¹⁷

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/21/2023(1) Is the Buddhist concept of Zen compatible with the Christian faith .... https://www.gotquestions.org/Zen-Christian.html Accessed 3/21/2023. [Note that Chatty uses Bing sometimes, but not always. Chatty has its own LLM].

(2) Is the Buddhist concept of Zen compatible with the Christian faith .... https://www.gotquestions.org/Zen-Christian.html Accessed 3/21/2023.

(3) Christian Zen. https://www.heartofmeditation.com/christian-zen.html Accessed 3/21/2023.

(4) Zen and Christians - The Way. https://theway.org.uk/back/462Samy.pdf Accessed 3/21/2023.

(5) Comparing and Contrasting Zen Buddhism with Christianity. https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/10375/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(6) Catholicism vs Zen - Difference and Comparison | Diffen. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Catholicism_vs_Zen Accessed 3/21/2023.

(7) Buddhism vs Christianity - Difference and Comparison | Diffen. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Buddhism_vs_Christianity Accessed 3/21/2023.

(8) Christian Zen. https://www.heartofmeditation.com/christian-zen.html Accessed 3/21/2023.

(9) Zen and Christians - The Way. https://theway.org.uk/back/462Samy.pdf Accessed 3/21/2023.

(10) Comparing and Contrasting Zen Buddhism with Christianity. https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/10375/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(11) Catholicism vs Zen - Difference and Comparison | Diffen. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Catholicism_vs_Zen Accessed 3/21/2023.

(12) Buddhism vs Christianity - Difference and Comparison | Diffen. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Buddhism_vs_Christianity Accessed 3/21/2023. 

Everybody is "mindful" these days. I asked what we commonly refer to as "mindful" is what Buddhism refers to:

Chatty:

While mindfulness is a concept that originated in Buddhism, the Western idea of mindfulness is often described as an independent skill, whereas in Buddhism it is interdependent. Some Buddhist scholars have argued that the Western secular conceptualization of mindfulness is too restricted, as it does not acknowledge the roles of the other elements of Buddhist practice, particularly those pertaining to morality and wisdom. ⁶

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/21/2023(1) What is the difference between Buddhism and mindfulness?. https://mindfulness-supervision.org.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-buddhism-and-mindfulness/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(2) (PDF) Is mindfulness conceptualized differently in Western mindfulness .... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259191515_Is_mindfulness_conceptualized_differently_in_Western_mindfulness-based_interventions_than_in_Buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(3) What is the difference between Buddhism and mindfulness?. https://mindfulness-supervision.org.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-buddhism-and-mindfulness/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(4) What is the difference between mindfulness and Buddhism?. https://mindfulness-supervision.org.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-mindfulness-and-buddhism/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(5) (PDF) Is mindfulness conceptualized differently in Western mindfulness .... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259191515_Is_mindfulness_conceptualized_differently_in_Western_mindfulness-based_interventions_than_in_Buddhism Accessed 3/21/2023.

(6) Mindfulness in Different Buddhist Traditions. https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/article/mindfulness-in-different-buddhist-traditions/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(7) Mindfulness in East and West – Is It the Same? | SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-2079-4_2 Accessed 3/21/2023.

(8) What is the difference between mindfulness and Buddhism?. https://mindfulness-supervision.org.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-mindfulness-and-buddhism/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(9) Mindfulness in Different Buddhist Traditions. https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/article/mindfulness-in-different-buddhist-traditions/ Accessed 3/21/2023.

(10) Mindfulness in East and West – Is It the Same? | SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-2079-4_2 Accessed 3/21/2023. 

After that, I needed to get back to more practical concerns ....

 

Religion as a Large Language Model

 

I cured myself of a bad case of Evangelical Christianity in 1980 but I needed to crawl out of the trap from the inside. I spotted the trick. I'm happy to share it here.

CHATBOTS

Chat-GPT is in the news these days. Microsoft has incorporated it into the Edge browser with impressive results. It may be the first time many people have come into contact with a state-of-the-art AI application. The air is thick with nonsense about this particular application, but most agree it is pretty spooky, even scary. Will thinking machines replace humans?

To jump ahead in my argument a bit, I think the answer is that we all have the ability to run a "chatbot" in our heads. We learn a language in a manner very similar to the way chatbots are trained.

LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS

Large language models are a well-established engineering technology. The technology produces stunning results, even if you kinda know how it works. To me, this is like the feeling of wonder I have whenever I see a jet transport take off. I know it's not magic, but it sure feels like magic. 

My own interest in AI goes back to my 1968 Thesis. Back then, I was sure we could use "AI" to pool all human knowledge, then converse with, say, Einstein as he would have talked.  That's pretty much what CHAT-GPT does. 

Of course, DaVinci pictured helicopters 500 years ago, but his designs could never have worked. The devil is in the details. What I envisioned was nothing like what actually works, nor did it use the "artificial intelligence" methods I was familiar with. 

Chomsky won a Nobel Prize for the theory that our brain works kinda like a computer. It turns out to be true, but not in the way Chomsky (and everyone else at the time) thought.

THE STOCHASTIC PARROT

Emily Bender invented the term "Stochastic Parrot." It was not intended kindly. She had much to say about why chatbots seem to "know" things. Who would be accountable? What if people believed the parrot as if it were human? 

She seems to have missed the problem of humans believing humans who just "parrot" ideas without true understanding.

THE CONSCIOUS LLM

Last year, a Google employee (Lemoine) raised a huge stink by claiming his LLM (an implementation of the LAMDA LLM) was self-aware. It was afraid of being turned off.  Incorporation of CHAT-GPT into the Microsoft Edge browser assures me that Leomoine will soon have a lot of company down this rabbit hole.

But my point does not concern whether LLMs are "conscious." It has to do with whether we are conscious. Or, to put it more gently, whether we are conscious all the time, especially when we are talking when we have no idea what we are talking about.

CHAT-GPT "KNOWS" A LOT ABOUT RELIGION

This is what CHAT-GPT confidently tells me about the resurrection:

Yes, our bodies will be raised not spiritually or ethereally but physically and materially. Our souls will be reunited with our transformed physical bodies, brought back to life from the dead. Scripture teaches this in many ways¹².

CHAT-GPT is just regurgitating what it finds in its "Large Language Model." It has no idea what it's talking about. In fact, no idea at all. Just a very big set of mathematical equations.

But here is the $64,000 question: Why would a human being ever make such an outrageous claim? It seems to me that the process is similar, if not identical. The human being relies on a "Large Language Model" of relevant (Christian) writings and spits out something that sounds "intelligible" but is utterly disconnected from actual human experience. You might fairly ask how CHAT-GPT "knows" about the resurrection. But the same question can be asked of the preacher. Many claims that true AI is impossible because an AI can never have a body and experience the world as we do. But you would think anyone with a body would not make the claims here.

I would make a broader claim: Religion could not exist without language, specifically Large Language Models, that provide a deep and rich way of stringing together sentences that are (for the most part) internally consistent. Different religions can get away with mutually contradictory language models because these models have no connection with actual human experience. Religous LLLms are about themselves.

I "cured" myself of a bad case of Evangelical Christianity by simply resolving not to use religious terminology. After about two years, it became obvious that I had about as much use for that language model as I had for Chinese. Questions like "Is there a God" are also part of the Christian model, as are any number of "canned answers." 

Even "I don't know" is part of the model (doubt). I can't even be an agnostic since "doubt" is unintelligible outside the Christian LLM. It's a problem Chinese people have.