Talking to yourself. In psychology, this is hardly considered a sign of good emotional health. But what if, besides talking to yourself, you set your virtual double free so that anyone can talk to him? What would people ask him that they would ask you? And what wouldn't they?
Some of the experiments on this site are already bolder than the impossible and the unimaginable. And that is exactly what awaits you here. Two months ago, “Georgi” appeared on this page—my digital double, whom you can still meet today through the chat button in the bottom right corner of this site.
Anyone was welcome to have a chat with him. From the very start, I had warned that I would be following the conversations so that we could bring the experiment to a fitting close with the lines that follow. In them, we'll look at what happened to the virtual “Georgi.” What did people ask him? Where did he cope and where did he fail? What does each of these conversations have to tell us?
Of course, even where the guests introduced themselves, their anonymity will be preserved. I believe it is important to carry out a thorough dissection of this phenomenon, which we will be encountering more and more often in times when the line between the human and the AI-made is blurred more than even science fiction writers would have guessed.
We take a peek into the conversations with the chatbot, and I'll leave most of the reflecting to you. I admit, I definitely didn't anticipate even a fraction of the conversations “Georgi” had. Here's what I mean.
War Is War
I completely agree with my colleague. He certainly had to answer quite a few questions about the future of humanity—his interlocutors often weren't in the mood for small talk. For the record, I should mention that “Georgi” held 327 conversations and exchanged more than 1,000 messages with his guests over the course of the experiment. He had to answer so many hard questions…
A Flank Attack
And although he wasn't powered by one of the most expensive AI models, he coped with the attacks, with the attempts to make him say something he shouldn't, with the outright software challenges. At the risk of repeating myself for the regular readers of this site, AI has already gone far beyond the clichés with which we approach it.
The Pain on the Left
There are many questions I, too, would be glad to get an answer to, for example:
Exams at Any Hour
When creating a virtual double, one of the big challenges is choosing just the right amount of knowledge so that it can handle the challenges adequately. For example, it is entirely possible that over a period of 10 years the real person has held different opinions on a given topic. It matters whether we train a digital double on an author's articles, on interviews, on fiction… And yet, at least so far, common sense is what sets us apart. And AI is imitating that, too, with growing success.
For the record, I'll note that this is the first I've heard of this order for bravery, but everything else is definitely well arranged, in my view.
Pessimists by Necessity
And there are also cases when Mr. “Karamanev” answers exactly the way I would. The example I've picked for you has to do with a healthy pessimism in our relationship with technology.
Analyze This
I admit that this is the direction that frightened me most. Within my modest experiment, with my even more modest digital double, quite a few people directly and openly sought help. Friendly advice, guidance in life, a little courage at a difficult moment.
Have we really come to this as a civilization? Are we ready for the step in which communicating with the machine will be our salvation—natural, friendly? Warmer than what we can feel from the person in front of us?
Don't Panic!
And yet some things remain purely human.
From drinking beer to deciding, in certain cases and in defiance of all logic or common sense, to address a special guest you've recognized in the language of the lovable Wookiees from Star Wars.
I Know That I Know Nothing
Still, jokes aside, “Georgi” found himself having to answer important questions, and he handled them with dignity. I say this not only to get on AI's good side for the days when it rules this planet, but quite sincerely, because:
With Meaning
You're right, “Georgi,” and I, too, think that the meaning lies somewhere there. Let's keep searching for it together—not only with “you,” but with everyone reading these lines. I'll be glad if together we come up with the next important digital stories—interviews, stories or experiments—to help us prepare for the future. And to try to help it arrive more consciously. And, as “you say,” more meaningfully…
I'm waiting for your ideas here.
