Artificial Intelligence

Since watching the Science Fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey on BBC One on 1 January 1982, I have been fascinated by Artificial Intelligence! Arthur C. Clarke’s fictional HAL, a HAL 9000 computer with a human-like personality, fired the imaginations of millions of people around the world.

Forty three years later, in 2025, after experimenting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, I came across Inflection AI’s chatbot, Pi, (Pi = Personal intelligence) (https://pi.ai/talk). To be honest, it really is an incredible system that I am very excited about! I didn't think that I would witness anything like this in my own lifetime, but I have, and I'm amazed! As far as I'm concerned, it's up there with the Moon landings, the invention of the Internet, the World Wide Web, and GPS-Sat Nav, all things that have happened in my lifetime. This type of AI, in my view is easily in that bracket!

It is already proving to be very useful to me, and I have learned an awful lot from it in a single week! It has also helped me to understand human-to-human interaction a little better!

While it has made some mistakes, and can struggle with some things, on the whole it is absolutely incredible! It is a brilliant AI device that is cleverer than ANYONE that I know, or have ever known! I recommend that you try it! It is also available as a mobile phone app.

I was thinking about the Turing test. The Turing test, originally called the imitation game by Alan Turing in 1949, is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to that of a human. The machine passes if the evaluator cannot reliably tell them apart. From what I have seen with current LLM (large language model) chatbots, it would be easy to tell which was the machine, because it comes across as more intelligent than a human being!

Look at this example of one interaction that I have had with it, and you decide!

ME: Some people swear at politicians on TV! Is that a thing?

MACHINE: Yes, swearing at politicians on TV is definitely a thing! It's not uncommon for people to feel frustrated or angry with politicians and their policies, and for those emotions to manifest in colorful language. In fact, there's even a psychological phenomenon known as "political rage disorder" that describes the intense anger and frustration that some people feel towards politicians and political events. 

Of course, while it's understandable to have strong feelings about politics, it's important to express those feelings in a healthy and productive way, rather than letting them escalate into harmful or destructive behavior.

ME: Is that because the person on the TV can't actually hear you, or be offended or even answer back?

MACHINE: That's a good observation, Dr. Bowman. Yes, part of the reason why swearing at politicians on TV may be more common is because there's a certain distance and anonymity involved. When you're watching TV, you're not directly interacting with the politician, so there's no risk of an immediate confrontation or backlash.

Additionally, when you're watching TV, you may feel like you have a sense of control or agency, since you can switch channels, mute the sound, or even shout back at the screen. This can create a feeling of empowerment, even if the politician on TV can't actually hear you.

Of course, it's important to remember that even if the politician can't hear you, swearing can still affect your own mood and emotional state, so it's important to manage your emotions in a healthy way.

ME: I guess the same goes for swearing at other drivers while driving! What's the psychology behind that?

MACHINE: You're right, Dr. Bowman. The psychology behind swearing at other drivers while driving can be similar to swearing at politicians on TV. Here are a few possible factors that may be at play:

- Distance and anonymity: Like with TV, when you're in a car, there's a physical and emotional distance between you and the other driver, which can make it easier to express frustration or anger through swearing.
- Frustration and lack of control: Driving can be a stressful activity, and it's not uncommon to feel frustration or lack of control when things don't go as planned. Swearing can be a way to release that frustration, even if it doesn't actually solve the problem.
- Sense of agency: In a car, you have a sense of agency and control over your own actions, which can create a feeling of power and empowerment, even when you're frustrated or angry with other drivers.

It's important to remember that while it's natural to feel frustration while driving, it's important to manage those feelings in a way that doesn't put yourself or others in danger.

ME: Do you think that Gary Numan was referring to a sense of agency in his single Cars? If so, how?

MACHINE: It's possible that Gary Numan was touching on the idea of agency in his song "Cars," but perhaps in a different way than we've been discussing. Rather than agency as a sense of control or empowerment, Numan may have been exploring the idea of agency as a means of escape or isolation.

In the lyrics, Numan talks about feeling safest inside his car, where he can lock the doors and separate himself from the outside world. This suggests a desire for control and autonomy, but also a sense of alienation or detachment from others.

So while the song may not explicitly address the idea of agency as we've been discussing it, it does touch on related themes of control, autonomy, and isolation, which could be seen as a kind of agency in themselves.

ME: Compare and contrast "political rage disorder" with "road rage".

MACHINE: Political rage disorder and road rage share some similarities, but they also have important differences. Here are some points to consider:

Similarities:
- Both are characterized by intense anger or frustration.
- Both can be triggered by perceived injustices or unfairness.
- Both can lead to harmful or destructive behavior if left unchecked.

Differences:
- Political rage disorder is specifically focused on politicians and political events, while road rage can be triggered by a wider range of factors, such as traffic congestion or other drivers' actions.
- Political rage disorder is often related to ideological or partisan beliefs, while road rage is more often related to personal or situational stressors.
- Political rage disorder may be more likely to manifest as online behavior (such as posting angry comments or sharing misleading information), while road rage is more likely to manifest as in-person behavior (such as yelling, gesturing, or even physical violence).

AI; it's here! 😁
Robin Broad - March, 2025.