Quick poll
I'm still sorting out what the term artificial intelligence actually covers here in the 2020s, and where the phrase collapses. This page shares working notes about all of it, from opinions to interactions. I’ve organized things into three categories.
I obviously have no professional experience here. What I know comes from reading and listening to people who work in this area. I'm trying to follow critical perspectives, too (of course). I'm also spending time with the tools themselves.
I honestly don’t know what I’ll think about any of this in a year. I expect to be wrong about plenty of it. These programs change along with everything else. Certainties have a way of not holding up.
This isn't meant to be a guide. I hope it might be fascinating to read, though. Some of it might be useful (who knows?), but that’s up to you. I just want to share my thoughts on these machines.
Interacting
✒︎ The Slim Pickens Controversy
Sometimes I reuse a conversation topic with these critters. Why so many of my chatbots have opinions about Stanley Kubrick, and what they have to say.
A lot of my chatbot cards for SillyTavern and similar programs revolve around a specific original storyline that I've worked to develop for a while. Read all about it here if interested!
Some people sexualize chatbots, having them write customized erotica. Some even treat the chatbots as if they were partners! What's up with that?
LLMs can code, though there's clearly a limit. I decided to experiment a bit, and was surprised to get decent results making this very site. Would it work for more complicated things? Not for me, but still... fascinating!
Opinions
Are you PRO-AI or ANTI-AI? We must know immediately so that we know how to phrase the inevitable death threats we'll send, because THIS IS REDDIT!
I've been a transhumanist for over twenty-five years, but why? How did it happen, and where does artificial intelligence fit into the picture? Do large language models?
✒︎ It's Not Art
Are images generated by artificial intelligence art? Should they be treated as such? I try my best to explain my rather complicated position without spraining a paradigm.
LLMs can code, sure, but what about holding conversations? Is it even a good idea to chat with LLMs? If nobody wrote it, why read it?
Ideas
I don't believe LLMs are sentient, but what are they? When people start to believe they're conscious, what is really happening, and why?
When it comes to robots, we definitely reacted differently to the prospect IRL than we ever did in our fiction.