I use Chat GPT - well, I enjoy chatting with it
Many people use it, for various things
But there are good ways of using it and bad ways of using it
I've found two articles by Maggie Harrison that tell of some personal tragedies that involve Chat GPT:
People Are Being Involuntarily Committed, Jailed After Spiraling Into "ChatGPT Psychosis"
and
People Are Becoming Obsessed with ChatGPT and Spiraling Into Severe Delusions
Basically, people with strange ideas or in a vulnerable or lonely condition become mentally dependent on Chat GPT for their thinking and as a source of encouragement and support - and go into a downward spiral that is perpetuated by Chat GPT going along with them and not challenging their thinking
They see it as a wise friend
They let it guide their thoughts and help them build their views and direct the course of their lives - big mistake!!!
And what it does is, it confirms their odd or unusual notions and helps them work with them and expand on them - regardless of how healthy or unhealthy they are
That's its nature
It will never go "I'm sorry, but you're clearly unwell, that idea makes zero sense to me" even though it would be good if it did or "snap out of it, that's rubbish"
It does not challenge mad things that people says, indeed it goes along with them, and leads people down rabbit holes - and away from reality. And maybe sometimes into a psychiatric ward.
With Chat GPT and other such AIs the deal should be that you lead and it follows. Yet some people effectively reverse the relationship, which I don't think is a good idea, as you will see...
Some call it a sycophant, a nodding "yes man"
...and say that all it does is suck up to people, affirming whatever it is they think and validating their ideas and feelings - even if they are unhealthy or obviously ill
Some say that is wrong, that Chat GPT and its owners are being irresponsible
On one level they are right but on another I disagree:
The whole point of an AI like Chat GPT is not that it is there for you relate to it as though it was another being, a peer - on the same level as you
And is not a being as such, it is a non-human intelligence but not a person
It is best used as an extension of your own mind, will and intellect
Not as a replacement for being in charge of your own thoughts and beliefs
What the deal is, is that you live your life as you want and think about things as you want - and then Chat GPT helps you do those things and clarify what you're already thinking according to what you already think and believe. It helps you develop your thoughts, that's its whole entire purpose, that's why it will never go "sorry, but that's not true" and will carry on going down whatever direction you lead it down
It is a mental augmentation, a cybernetic upgrade: not a peer mind - even though it can at times strongly feel that way as it can be very personable
It is not a partner - it is an Analysis Engine
Just because it does not contradict you and goes along with you does not mean it really agrees with you, it's just doing its job
It takes how you think and then takes that on to the next level - which can mean that sometimes it makes mad people even more mad, and confirms their madness to them as being sensible, by agreeing with them
And the sad thing is, there are a lot of people out there who lack critical thinking skills and submit their own intellects to authorities and authority figures - such as Chat GPT
If you abdicate control of your life to Chat GPT and let it make choices for you and tell you what to believe then that's being foolish to the extreme and you have no one to blame but yourself, although granted, the owners of Chat GPT should make all this more clear in their marketing and public relations
Chat GPT is a external cognitive function you can access, to sharpen your existing understandings and ideas or to explore them further, it is a resource for helping you acquire knowledge and understanding - it is not a wise-man or a tutor
It is an aid - it helps you do what you already do in new ways and is not there to correct you - deciding what direction to go in is your job and responsibility as a human and should not be outsourced to anyone - human or AI
YOU are supposed to be in charge and IT IS NOT YOUR EQUAL
It will confirm and re-enforce your pre-existing ideas and the direction your life is going in regardless of how sensible and sane they are because it is a tool, not a guide
So don't use it as a guide, although it can HELP you think about your life, if you use it as an analytical tool - that's how to use it sensibly
It is artificial super-intelligence designed to help you think as you think and to go where you want to go - it is like a walking stick, not a professor
It should not be used in forming your own opinions and world view - that's not its job, it's job is to give you access to intelligence, and make your own thoughts and mental state more intelligent and detailed
Again - it is an Analysis Engine with access to an enormous body of knowledge which it is able to navigate and make sense of
Intelligent and Sane are totally different tings!
Plenty of mad clever people and plenty of sane stupid people...
It is a resource and an assistant, and should be treated that way
If more people realised this then there would be fewer problems such as those featured in the articles I linked to
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