This made it into the ol' weblog... :)
https://ceoln.wordpress.com/2023/07/02/the-problem-of-other-minds-arises/
Posted! Do I have to take seriously an LLM that claims to be conscious? And so on...
https://ceoln.wordpress.com/2023/07/02/the-problem-of-other-minds-arises/ #AI #LLMs #Searle #Bender #consciousness #philosophy
Oh, and for anyone who hasn't read it, it's good (even if I don't fully understand it): https://medium.com/@emilymenonbender/thought-experiment-in-the-national-library-of-thailand-f2bf761a8a83
For @emilymbender , but also anyone else who has an opinion on the subject. :)
I've been rereading "Thought experiment in the National Library of Thailand" and thinking about my own early (long pre-LLM) thoughts about Searle's Chinese Room, and wondering where I actually stand on various questions at the moment.
And I realize that it's not clear to me exactly what Bender is saying, in "Thought experiment".
In particular, on the claim that "it is possible to manipulate forms well enough to be indistinguishable from a system that understands the meaning of the forms, reasons about it, and responds appropriately", is Bender denying that that is possible?
Or is it just that, even if a system does that form-manipulating well enough to be externally indistinguishable, the form-manipulating system will still not, in the deeper sense, be understanding and reasoning and responding?
That is, will the person who attempts to learn Thai solely by frowning at lots of Thai, in fact fail to be able to fool a Thai speaker? Or is the point that, even if a Thai speaker is convinced, they will have been fooled?
Say it with me as many times as it takes to make the lesson stick: Chatbots are not a suitable replacement for search engines.
https://dair-community.social/@emilymbender/109570353001872254
Looks like #Twitter going full goofy has brought some #lawfedi friends back to active on #Mastodon. Yay! We hope you stick around.
If you're looking for a legal-specific instance, we're here (https://esq.social) and open. You can read as many toots per day as you like!
If you're looking for folks to follow, or want to be found, check out https://lawstodon.org - most #law and #legal fediverse users are there. Join, if you like (I run it as well)!
The sign wasn't precise, but yes, there are some goats here. And sheep. And horses. And chicken.
A side note: I cannot recommend any of the other private alternatives to Twitter, including Bluesky, Spoutible, or Post.
Any private platforms are subject to the same risks that have befallen Twitter. Also, Dorsey and Musk share the same worldview. Mastodon is at least open, and your data is portable.
#ChatGPT bot service: "they usually work well enough to keep an anguished scammer on the line for up to 15 minutes"
https://www.techspot.com/news/99264-man-opens-chatgpt-bot-subscription-service-annoy-waste.html
Plans to poison every insect in a 27,000 square mile area with a neurotoxin which is carcinogenic to humans cancelled by the BLM after approval by the US Agriculture Department.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/federal-agencies-scrap-aerial-pesticide-spray/article_6ef9b584-16e8-11ee-a356-0f6e79d52311.html?utm_source=santafenewmexican.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fyour-morning-headlines%2F%3F123%26-dc%3D1688122807&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more
#PlagueofLocusts #Carcinogens #AntiEnvironmental
"And In The Silence After," a little story I wrote for @heartlines_spec, is now free to read! https://www.heartlines-spec.com/and-in-the-silence-after-by-c-j-lavigne/
It is a soothing tale in which absolutely nothing terrible happens.
Definitely check out Heartlines Spec, a charming new Canadian publication dedicated to stories about long-term friendships and relationships. A chirping sparrow told me their submissions are opening again May 1 (April 23 for equity-deserving groups). https://www.heartlines-spec.com/
Students are such grifters. Why should I pay for your student loans? Make better choices. Get a job! Anyway, can't stay and chat, off to meet my billionaire buddies for a fishing trip in my honor on an otherwise unoccupied (and therefore worth $0) private jet flight to laugh about forgiven PPP-loans
Yes, in #303Creative, the majority and the dissent are, in a deep sense, talking about about different cases. They have profoundly different conceptions of the nature of the market, of the public sphere, and the role of a democratic state in governing both. 14/14 #LawFedi
A consciousness somehow associated with matter.
Posting about culture, philosophy, politics, AI Art Tools, NaNoWriMo, Software Development occasionally, the relationship of consciousness to matter.
Degrees in Philosophy and Computer Science, once had a US TS/SCI(redacted) clearance, radical-for-the-US politics, ex-Libertarian, zen-buddhist-pantheist-atheist.
Google employee, but I do not speak for Google in any way.
If your profile tells me nothing about you, it's less likely I'll follow you (back).
Header: abstract smoky patterns
pfp: Adorable weird piglet / delirium cultist... thing. In a hoodie.