7 ms·

> It's just recycling things that other humans have said. This seems false, unless you mean that everything anyone says is just words others have said in a dif

> It's just recycling things that other humans have said. This seems false, unless you mean that everything anyone says is just words others have said in a different order. For example, I asked ChatGPT: "Write a fictional story of if Peter Parker joined the 2016 OKC Thunder." One of my favorite parts is: "...determined to balance his superhero duties with his love of basketball. He even designed a special suit that allowed him to play without revealing his identity." This isn't recycling... at least not in the way I think a lot of people think of recycling.

lisasays 4y ago
"Regurgitating" would seem to be a better description. In fact, a near-exact description of what these systems do, per the dictionary definition of the term: (intransitive verb) - To repeat (facts or other learned items) from memory with little reflection.
- robertlagrant 4y ago
  I don't think that's what it's doing. What makes you say that?
  - diydsp 4y ago
    it's similar. it's a distinction of what a fact is... the full sentence may not be a fact, but it is a statistical fact that word X[1] follows X[2] most often after X[3], and most often after X[4], etc.
  - lisasays 4y ago
    From very nature of how these systems operate - they aren't capable of "reflecting" about anything.
    - xdavidliu 4y ago
      How are you so sure of the nature of these systems? Are you just speculating or regurgitating other peoples' speculations of these systems?
    - robertlagrant 4y ago
      Assuming your assertion is correct, I still don't think that anything that isn't "reflecting" must be "regurgitating".
    - poptartVStrudal 4y ago
      You can ask it to summarize and write thoughtful responses. Based on how humans write other things based on their feelings, GPT spits out responses that read like a reflection
clarge1120 4y ago
Agreed. GPT isn't recycling, regurgitating, or anything like that. It's more like remixing, which is pretty fascinating. It's like having an opinionated DJ that plays whatever you ask-ish. But, if you ask for something too edgy it just plays beat-heavy Beethoven with a Run DMC voice over, on repeat.
- __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
  I do think remixing is a better word, but the point is that it's unlikely to come up with any genuinely new insights. It's just faster access to existing insights, sometimes presented intact.
  - basch 4y ago
    Synthesizing.
  - kenjackson 4y ago
    What are some examples of genuinely new insights? And are they common even among average people? For example, there's the comedy skit that Harry Potter is simply Star Wars set in a wizards world (or a variation on the Hero's Journey). Is a math proof an insight or just a discovery on an existing truth?
    - __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
      They're not common, but here's one: I wanted six axis control over the position/angle of either half of my split keyboard, because I'm that kind of nerd. I was using 80/20 rail on a lazy Susan hinge for x-translation and x-rotation. Standing desk covered z-translation and y-translation I was considering using VESA pole mounts for y and z rotation, but 80/20 and VESA are different universes, and I've never seen a picture of VESA poles being used horizontally. Nor, so far as I'm aware, has the web contained text (until now) which indicates that they can be joined in the way that I wanted to join them: with the pole perpendicular to the rail. A little fiddling with things in my garage and I discovered that the holes in the 80/20 rail line up with the U-bolt of the correct diameter for wrapping a VESA pole mount. So I used four U-bolts for the job: https://imgur.com/a/vXLX4RA https://imgur.com/a/vXLX4RA I think that the only prompts that would lead ChatGPT to that conclusion are ones supplied by a human who already knew it. But now that I've published text that puts the concept into language, a future LLM might be able to suggest it.
musicale 4y ago
> He even designed a special suit that allowed him to play without revealing his identity Which identity, ChatGPT? Is he playing as Peter Parker and trying to hide his superhero identity (which obviously gives him unfair advantages due to spider strength/speed/reflexes/etc.) or playing as Spider-Man (which presumably would pack in the fans in spite of the obvious unfair advantages) and trying to hide his identity as Peter Parker?
- kenjackson 4y ago
  Here's some context that makes it clearer: "However, Peter's superhero identity as Spider-Man began to interfere with his basketball career. He often had to leave games early to attend to emergencies, and his secret identity was a constant source of anxiety. Despite these challenges, Peter continued to play for the Thunder, determined to balance his superhero duties with his love of basketball. He even designed a special suit that allowed him to play without revealing his identity."

lisasays 4y ago

"Regurgitating" would seem to be a better description. In fact, a near-exact description of what these systems do, per the dictionary definition of the term: (intransitive verb) - To repeat (facts or other learned items) from memory with little reflection.

robertlagrant 4y ago
I don't think that's what it's doing. What makes you say that?
- diydsp 4y ago
  it's similar. it's a distinction of what a fact is... the full sentence may not be a fact, but it is a statistical fact that word X[1] follows X[2] most often after X[3], and most often after X[4], etc.
- lisasays 4y ago
  From very nature of how these systems operate - they aren't capable of "reflecting" about anything.
  - xdavidliu 4y ago
    How are you so sure of the nature of these systems? Are you just speculating or regurgitating other peoples' speculations of these systems?
  - robertlagrant 4y ago
    Assuming your assertion is correct, I still don't think that anything that isn't "reflecting" must be "regurgitating".
  - poptartVStrudal 4y ago
    You can ask it to summarize and write thoughtful responses. Based on how humans write other things based on their feelings, GPT spits out responses that read like a reflection

clarge1120 4y ago

Agreed. GPT isn't recycling, regurgitating, or anything like that. It's more like remixing, which is pretty fascinating. It's like having an opinionated DJ that plays whatever you ask-ish. But, if you ask for something too edgy it just plays beat-heavy Beethoven with a Run DMC voice over, on repeat.

__MatrixMan__ 4y ago
I do think remixing is a better word, but the point is that it's unlikely to come up with any genuinely new insights. It's just faster access to existing insights, sometimes presented intact.
- basch 4y ago
  Synthesizing.
- kenjackson 4y ago
  What are some examples of genuinely new insights? And are they common even among average people? For example, there's the comedy skit that Harry Potter is simply Star Wars set in a wizards world (or a variation on the Hero's Journey). Is a math proof an insight or just a discovery on an existing truth?
  - __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
    They're not common, but here's one: I wanted six axis control over the position/angle of either half of my split keyboard, because I'm that kind of nerd. I was using 80/20 rail on a lazy Susan hinge for x-translation and x-rotation. Standing desk covered z-translation and y-translation I was considering using VESA pole mounts for y and z rotation, but 80/20 and VESA are different universes, and I've never seen a picture of VESA poles being used horizontally. Nor, so far as I'm aware, has the web contained text (until now) which indicates that they can be joined in the way that I wanted to join them: with the pole perpendicular to the rail. A little fiddling with things in my garage and I discovered that the holes in the 80/20 rail line up with the U-bolt of the correct diameter for wrapping a VESA pole mount. So I used four U-bolts for the job: https://imgur.com/a/vXLX4RA https://imgur.com/a/vXLX4RA I think that the only prompts that would lead ChatGPT to that conclusion are ones supplied by a human who already knew it. But now that I've published text that puts the concept into language, a future LLM might be able to suggest it.

musicale 4y ago

> He even designed a special suit that allowed him to play without revealing his identity Which identity, ChatGPT? Is he playing as Peter Parker and trying to hide his superhero identity (which obviously gives him unfair advantages due to spider strength/speed/reflexes/etc.) or playing as Spider-Man (which presumably would pack in the fans in spite of the obvious unfair advantages) and trying to hide his identity as Peter Parker?

kenjackson 4y ago
Here's some context that makes it clearer: "However, Peter's superhero identity as Spider-Man began to interfere with his basketball career. He often had to leave games early to attend to emergencies, and his secret identity was a constant source of anxiety. Despite these challenges, Peter continued to play for the Thunder, determined to balance his superhero duties with his love of basketball. He even designed a special suit that allowed him to play without revealing his identity."