An Excellent AI Explanation
This is one of the best things I've come across to explain for an average human being how to think of what that chatbot extruded as an answer to your prompt.
I like this because it sidesteps one of the problems of talking about AI-- as humans, we absolutely love to project intent into the world. We anthropomorphize everything. Did your family give the family car a name (we don't have a name for our cars, but we call the google map voice "Brenda")? We get mad at inanimate objects as if they thwart us on purpose—with intent. Heck, religion itself is built on the impulse to ascribe intent to the entire universe.
Trying to drive home the point that generative AI does not have intent in any human sense is accurate and worthwhile and also much like trying to empty Lake Erie with a spoon.
So, sure. Let's think of generative AI as having intent-- but if we must do so, let's say that its intent is not to study up on the topic and draw wise conclusions. Its "intent" is to tell you what a response would sound like. Is it a correct response or an incorrect one? That's not a factor. Its "intent" is to extrude something that sounds like an answer would sound, not to extrude an actual answer. It is, in fact, a bullshit artist.
I came across the above image third hand, so I am not able to properly credit the daughter who originally crafted it. But this is one of those times I'm posting something not just to boost it, but to park it somewhere I'll be able to find it, because I expect this is an idea that I will come back to again.
This kinda misses the point though.
The reason people "want" it to be something that does something else is because Scam Altman and all the AI boosters are out there have been for years now TELLING PEOPLE THAT IT DOES WHAT IT CAN'T DO. They've been telling people it can do what it can't, and HIDING the reality of its limitations from everyone.
Even doctors. And teachers. And everyone.
Because nobody would spend so much money to buy something that can't do what it can't do!!!!!
People don't understand because they're being lied to. I've been recommending Angela Collier's "AI does not exist but it will ruin everything anyway" youtube video for TWO F'n YEARS now.
So part of the problem is that the biggest users of this product actually don't WANT to understand. Some people are paid to not understand, and others are hooked because it's like a gambling device. It's like trying to convince people about smoking or vaping, or anything else they *really really* like.
EDIT: I almost feel like this is propaganda put out there to take away the culpability of OpenAI and put it on the consumers. Like the consumers wanted it to be something it's not. Like the consumers REFUSED to understand, when in fact they were lied to. Like make it the consumers fault, the way they're trying to do that with data centers...
https://youtu.be/qb008skg3iY