>But just how good are the new AIs at approximating human consciousness? Consider the bar that recently advertised a drink special with the following terms: “Bu

>But just how good are the new AIs at approximating human consciousness? Consider the bar that recently advertised a drink special with the following terms: “Buy one beer for the price of two and receive a second beer absolutely free!” To any human, this is obviously a joke. The classic “buy one, get one” special is reformulated to cancel itself out. It is an expression of cynicism that will be appreciated as comic honesty, all to boost sales. Would a chatbot pick up on any of this? ChatGPT flips into bullshit mode and interprets it as a straightforward offer; GPT4 grasps the humor and identifies it as a marketing strategy, and proffers several reasons why such a strategy might be effective (icebreaker for customers, encourages social media engagement, promoting a "quirky" laid-back atmosphere). It's fun to watch AI skepticism get rebutted in real time. Frightening too. We really have no idea what's about to hit us, do we...