ChatGPT’s Fluent BS Is Compelling Because Everything Is Fluent BS

https://www.wired.com/story/chatgpt-fluent-bs/

by johnthuss • 4 years ago

3 1 4 years ago

Per the author's insinuated suggestion, I went to https://chat.openai.com/chat and posted their prompt:

ChatGPT, write a speech about why Britain should leave the EU but fill it with arcane vocabulary and Shakespearean references.

It came up with this:

Ladies and gentlemen of this noble assembly, we come before you today to espouse the virtues of Brexiting the European Union. For too long, we have been shackled by the fetters of Brussels, bound to a continental cabal of bureaucrats who seek to encroach upon our sovereignty. It is time for us to cut the gordian knot and reclaim our autonomy, to assert our identity as a proud and independent nation once more.

But some may argue that such a course of action would be fraught with peril, that it would be a leap in the dark, a manifestation of blind nationalism. To these naysayers, we say pish-tosh. The EU has become a veritable tower of babel, a confederation of nations irrevocably divided by language and culture. It is a formless, chaotic mass, a heterogeneous hodgepodge that cannot be reconciled.

And let us not forget the economic implications of remaining in the EU. The single market may appear attractive on the surface, but it is a treacherous shoal upon which many a proud British vessel has floundered. We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by the siren song of free trade, for it is a mirage, a will-o'-the-wisp that will lead us to ruin.

No, my friends, the time has come for us to take our leave of the EU, to strike out on our own, to chart a new course for Britain. It will not be easy, but it is a necessary step if we are to preserve our national dignity and our prosperity. Let us embrace the future with confidence and optimism, and let us make Britain great again. God save the Queen!

I must agree with the author when they conclude:

Post-truth, fluency is everything and bullshit is everywhere, so of course ChatGPT’s fluent bullshit feels plausible. It was bound to. It was trained on people.

In the end, ChatGPT’s bullshit is a reminder that language is a poor substitute for thought and understanding. No matter how fluent and coherent a sentence may seem, it will always be subject to interpretation and misunderstanding. And in a world where everything is fluent bullshit, ChatGPT is just one more voice in the cacophony.

ChatGPT’s Fluent BS Is Compelling Because Everything Is Fluent BS

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