Once somebody creates an AI that doesn't articulate as well as ChatGPT but imitates humans better, anonymous online discussion is dead almost instantly.
How can you ever guarantee that you are not arguing with a bot that will not get tired, answer almost instantly, and will gaslight you into anything it wants you to believe?
You can abort arguing with it at any time, sure, but is this a satisfying experience? No, it will be incredibly frustrating getting duped like this over and over again.
The scary part for me is when they stop letting you reset the bot’s memory of you. Or when the bots start sharing your “profile” across different bots. You know, to serve you better.
Combine it with deepfake and any interaction online is tainted from the getgo. I strongly believe we are heading towards an offline life again. Not because technology is bad but because it has become too advanced for humans to deal with it.
It's probably going to be worse than that. You won't be able to avoid it, unless you decide to live in an insular offline community that ignores the outside world (like the Amish). If you don't the AI bullshit, deepfakes, etc. will still get to you via newspapers, books, and crap you hear from IRL people.
I've stopped using ChatGPT for now for that reason (given Microsoft is involved).
A lot of Cassandras were dismissed years ago when Facebook surveillance widgets started appearing and we would get downvoted to a pale shade of gray. The mistake then was voicing concerns on forums instead of recognizing it as social matter and having that discussion at the policy and legal levels. Let's skip the decade of beguilement and jump to the policy and legal fronts on this. Do not wait, act now.
Personality flaws like certain kinds of obsessiveness and irrational persistence are internet superpowers, at least in any peer-to-peer forum-like space.
The online world belongs to the guys (or bots) who are willing to sacrifice everything in the name of some dumb internet argument.
I should clarify, I don't believe there's anything nefarious with Bing/ChatGPT right now. But it opens the doors for the worst of humanity to take advantage of a new tool more powerful than the worst of social media.
Reddit would be a great exemple. On most popular subreddits, people will stubornly refuse to admit they are wrong even in the face of indisputable evidence. They will rather become aggressive than own their mistakes.
It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.
# how to hack discussions in the future