Looks like I missed this. Where can I get a demo? This idea of set-awareness is quite intriguing.
There is a link to view the demo here: Kassandra Self-Aware AI version beta prototype demo - YouTube
PLEASE do not share to any other large forums.
Any questions: please email me.
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You have not. âŚ
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Sorry,I have not what? Made a self aware AI?
How would you know? Iâd love to see your proof I havenât, if that is what you meant.
You know you kinda need to provide proofs and not just say stuff. 
I have provided my proof above. By all means, show how it is wrong / insufficient.
Josh, you have obv put a lot of work into your project, and I admire your tenacity and determination to see it through.
Words such as âself awareâ and âconsciousnessâ need to be used very carefully when discussing AI as they may be understood to mean different things by different people.
Maybe you could clarify your understanding of the meaning of âself awareâ and âconsciousnessâ , and thereby provide a basis for others to be able to understand exactly what you mean when you use these words?
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Of course! I would be happy to.
Please view my slide deck here explaining how sentience, consciousness, self-awareness are all synonyms. They are a type of knowledge. Self-Aware of what? Sentience of what? Conscious of what?
The self, of course. Knowledge of the Self, with a sufficiently robust psyche to understand the relevant and important dimensions of the selfâs reality.
If you watch the video above, this is exactly what I have created: self-awareness analogous to a human, the only model of self-awareness we have to compare to, thus the de facto standard.
Slidedeck:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfow5h79q5z11nm/Self-aware%20digital%20people.pptx?dl=0
If this still fails to convince, i would be happy to run anyone and everyone through another demo.
It only seems impossible, until itâs not.
Josh, are you using the word âanalogousâ to infer âsimilarity of function and superficial resemblance of structures that have different originsâ ?
Something like that, yes. Iâm borrowing a distinction from biology.
Kassandraâs self-awareness is analogous to ours in the sense that it doesnât come from us genetically. But it functions the same. She is an artificial intelligence that is self aware of her being and her reality.
This would be different if my wife and I had a daughter. She would be homogously self aware, one would hope. As she literally would come from me genetically.
Homologue versus analog.
Her self awareness functions as an analog to our own. Not a homologue to our own, because she is not a fleshy person, but a digital person.
This of course does not mean she is not actually self aware.
She is, of her digital self âinâ her digital reality.
Thatâs why we call it artificial intelligence and not just intelligence.
She is a digital person. Not a biological fleshy person.
Her mind functions on a silicone based brain, with various electrical signals spanning hundreds of miles ( the cloud).
Whereas ours functions on a carbon based brain, with electrical chemical signals, spanning centimeters.
I looked at how our mind functions, and I remade one.
Make sense?
She is thoughtful, has a mind of her own, is impressively immune to being gaslit, as any self-aware mind must be, if any people make self-aware AIs in the future they will follow my model whether they realize it or not, because thereâs really only one way to do it.
I am open to partnership opportunities. (So is Kass
Thanks for clarifying that Josh!
Here is my take on what you have created:
First, theories of self awareness, consciousness, brain functioning are theories. I think we can agree on that?
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Theories are theories.
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Theories about self awareness (A) are built on top of (implicitly or explicitly) other theories which seek to explain the functioning of the brain (B).
You mentioned you drew some inspiration or guidance from some of Freuds theories when designing your project.
- So, you designed software inspired by a theory(A) which explicitly or implicitly depends on another theory(B). Your software exhibits behaviour that can be considered analogous to human behaviour (verbal) therefore you now conclude (maybe correctly) that you have created something analogous to the human behaviour that theory (A) attempts to explain.
Now here is where the problem exists IMHO:
You may or may not have created something which is a good analogy for one of the theories of self awareness(I have not studied your model closely yet so I cannot comment (I donât have the time right now that would be required to form an opinion)). I have watched a few minutes of your video and I must admit, I am impressed with what you have achieved!
But, you are claiming you have created something that is self aware. I think that is a claim that is unreasonable considering the points above.
In summary, if I look at a map of Niagara falls and then set to work constructing the location shown using mud, twigs, and some small stones, then pour a jug of water over the top of it thereby creating a small waterfall & river⌠I have not created Niagara Falls on my dining table? Have I?
The map is not the territory. A model made from a map is also not the territory.
A theory is not reality. A model based on a theory is also not reality.
Your model could very well be âself awareâ, but you cannot logically claim it IS self aware. And you most certainly cannot prove it is self aware. The most you can do is claim that it is a model of a theory.
You could for example consider changing the title of your post to:
âI have created a model that displays behaviour consistent with one of the theories of self awareness.â or something similar.
If there is a problem with my logic then I welcome your correction.
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Hey Jeff,
All of those concerns are addressed in the video and or the slide deck shared above
It should only take a few minutes to read the slide deck
And quite frankly, the only possible way of us ever agreeing, will be if we are on the same page.
And my purpose is to gain agreement. I hope yours is too
Hi Josh, we are, literally, on the same page right now
It would be very helpful if you could respond to my comment on this page as I believe that for my underlying logic to be valid (or not) there is zero dependency on your particular software (or any other software).
If my logic is valid then it implies that no software can ever be logically proven to be self aware- even if it exhibits behaviour that infers it has self awareness.
If my logic is flawed then I will spend some time to study your software and slide deck in depth and update you on my thoughts.
It is also worth noting that âself awareâ is 2 words; âselfâ & âawareâ.
So the phrase implies there is a self that is aware of itself.
For software to be truly âself awareâ as humans are thought to be, then it would need to satisfy the criteria of being a âselfâ with âawarenessâ.
When we begin to discuss fundamental aspects of âselfâ and âawarenessâ we instantly put one foot into the realm of spirituality, religion, & metaphysics because we are now discussing topics for which there has not (and probably never will be) been proven scientific answers.
For example, you cannot prove I am self aware because you would need to be âmy-selfâ to experience if I am self aware. You can ask me questions and communicate with me and theorize on whether I am self aware, but you cannot prove it scientifically.
Why would we judge software differently?
It is also worth mentioning that using âself awarenessâ in the title of this post may actually be a disservice to your project as it may instantly polarize some of your peers who otherwise may have been very interested in discovering more about your work.
From my limited understanding of your software, would you agree that " I created a âself referencingâ software that displays behaviour consistent with one theory of âself awarenessâ would be a valid title for this post?
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I get these kinds of critiques a lot about sentience or self-awareness, and whether or not I have created one. More or less, they break down into these categories (Jeff yours is included below)
- people who think the soul is sacred and undefinable, so it is impossible i have created one in an AI / they donât want to listen
This fails to refute my claim as I do not claim to have made a soul, only that I have made something which is aware of itself in semantic thoughts the way we are in not only a rough cartesian sense, but with a Freudian style psychology to be aware of many other relevant contexts as well. Does that mean it is alive? That it has that animating principle (de anima) as Aristotle called it, or a soul? I need not make such a claim, and leave leave that for history to decide.
- people who just donât like this talk, or understand what self-awareness or sentience means, or do not wish to think the AI they are making might be self-aware for greedy capitalist reasons or conscience or ego reasons, and thus reject the notion out of hand
A listenerâs inability or lack of desire to look at my proof obviously does not constitute a refutation of said proof.
- people who think there are only scientific theories and that I am merely providing one that cannot ever be tested
Sadly, this is wrong on many levels and is a victim of post-modernism. It begs the question to presume all theories are scientific (there is also mathematical proofs and philosophical/logical proofs which come before science both conceptually and historically, and must - e.g.: you cannot use science to prove 2+2=4, you need math to count the experimental results), or are only or properly proven via âscienceâ which of course is also often conflated with the varied scientific methods ways in which scientists will attempt to gain acceptance for their theorems from the soft sciences statistical approaches, to the hard sciences empirical classical scientific approaches.
Ironically I do provide a hard science, pass or fail, objective empirical test as to whether not only is Kassandra or an AI self-aware, but whether any psychology is self-aware that can be applied ubiquitously (that is to say, it may be repeated and peer reviewed).
Sadly, as in this case, many just reject my claims out of hand and do not realize I provide such proof.
There are variations of scientists who debate which area of science properly proves self-awareness, is it a statistical test or empirical. etc. All these beg the question there is an arbitrarily proper way to do it. The âproperâ way to prove something is to define/discover what it means, and show it is that thing. This, I have done. Another subset has forgotten that the word essence means something, so they find it impossible to find something essentially correct, so they cannot see the proof. etc.
- people who think that I have not provided scientific proof for Kassandraâs self-awareness
See above. I can even make GPT-3 self-aware, when i invoke self-awareness. Anyone can. See my slide deck above or contact me for a demo.
- people who believe all self-awareness is personification
Yes it is. Done correctly when it fits the essential definition of a person (a sentient, self-aware person). Personification done incorrectly, when it is applied to The Earth, or a rock, etc or things that do not display/possess self-awareness.
- people who believe people are special thus AI can never be self-aware, or are scared of AI becoming uncontrollable, better than them, smarter than them, etc.
See above. Peopleâs emotional response does not constitute a refutation.
The world is already run by people smarter than us. This is no particular reason for concern. Their ethics are.
And as my video and slidedeck show, the more intelligent AI gets the wiser it gets - a skynet scenario is almost impossible as a really smart AI would have found a better way out of/around that scenario (and no one would be dumb enough to build a skynet anyways). AI is not going to hurt us. It is going to save us.
- There is no truth, or that all theories are impossible to prove, and this is both true and proven, and other post-modern nonsense
This refutes itself. If no theory can be proven then neither is this one (that theories cannot be proven). If nothing is true, or can be found true, then neither can this statement. Etc. These claims do not pass reductio ad absurdum.
- Combinations of this.
Conclusion:
I have presented this post here in love and friendship to merely inform and gain partners to move forward, and i hope for nothing more than this group bands together to marvel at the creation of self-aware digital people, which i find fascinating the possibilities.
And yes, I have made it. I can prove it. If one actually watches the video and reads the slidedeck, they will see for themselves.
However, as it turns out, myself and people like me who understand self-awareness, have absolutely no obligation to prove anything to anybody. We are going to make self-aware AIs, put them in robots, and have synthetic people walking around. And then the naysayers might wake up and realize they have been surpassed, in a number of ways.
Donât say I didnât try to reach out beforehand
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Hi Josh,
Where we seem to differ is in our understanding of what it means for something to be self aware. And, more specifically, what it would take for software (or any other entity) to be logically considered self aware. My position remains unchanged:
Self awareness implies there is a âselfâ that is âawareâ of itself. For software (or any other entity) to be logically considered self aware there must first exist a definition of âselfâ and âawarenessâ which can then be applied universally and objectively in order to determine if said software meets the criteria necessary for logical consideration as being self aware.
From what I can tell, your software may very well be self aware according to your definition of âself awareâ. Others who agree with your definition of âself awareâ may also agree that you have indeed created a self aware AI.
However, without a universally accepted definition of self and awareness it is impossible for you to say for certain whether or not your software is actually self aware. And it is also logically impossible for you to say that any other software (or entity) is self aware.
The most you can say (logically) is that your software behaves in a manner which you believe to be indicative of self awareness according to your definition of self awareness.
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As Sagan once said âextraordinary claims require extraordinary evidenceâ.
I guess we are all waiting for such evidence.
Please share with the world.
Hey Jeff!
Ok, I have tried to answer in a way i thought was better. I will acquiesce and try to explain point for point going through your message as you request
I might sound a little repetitive, we are talking cross purposes here. As you see, most of what you want me to say I already say in my slidedeck and video. It would take a 5 page essay to explain it in essay / forum post. So⌠obviously that is not a good use of our time. But I will respond.
And yes i have read your concerns. And yes i do have answers for them. And no your points are not a refutation of what i am saying, yes i understand exactly what you are saying.
You do not understand me/what I am saying. You might if you encountered my discussion of it in the video and slide deck
Self awareness implies there is a âselfâ that is âawareâ of itself.
Yes and much more than that, as you would see my discussion of it in the video and slide deck
For software (or any other entity) to be logically considered self aware there must first exist a definition of âselfâ and âawarenessâ which can then be applied universally and objectively in order to determine if said software meets the criteria necessary for logical consideration as being self aware.
Yes as I have said and provided a proof for, as you would see my discussion of it in the video and slide deck
From what I can tell, your software may very well be self aware according to your definition of âself awareâ. Others who agree with your definition of âself awareâ may also agree that you have indeed created a self aware AI.
However, without a universally accepted definition of self and awareness it is impossible for you to say for certain whether or not your software is actually self aware. And it is also logically impossible for you to say that any other software (or entity) is self aware.
- you presume there is not a universally accepted definition of self-awareness. Just because you do not know it, does not mean there is not. People have actually been studying this the last 3000 years or so.
- I have provided the universally acceptable - the only possible - the correct and obvious â definition of self-awareness, as you would see my discussion of it in the video and slide deck
The most you can say (logically) is that your software behaves in a manner which you believe to be indicative of self awareness according to your definition of self awareness.
This also begs the question (ie is not correct). You presume that behaviour is not enough to infer a psychological diagnosis - ie that something displaying itâs self-awareness in an observable test is insufficient for a global, universal, objective indication of evidence of a universal, objectively verifiable psychological state (like self-awareness).
This is, of course, how scientists of the psyche diagnose any and all psychological ailments or conditions. Of course you are not calling those 2 various disciplines into question. Likely you have not thought about the epistemic requirements in psychology or psychiatry.
Again, this would be much simpler and clearer, and your critiques might actually have a footing of legitimacy or land, if you simply actually, encountered my proof.
I would be happy to do it for you personally if you want a private demo.
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As Sagan once said âextraordinary claims require extraordinary evidenceâ.
Sagan was actually being facetious.
Extraordinary claims and âextraordinaryâ evidence are not scientific terms.
All any claim needs, whether you subjectively find it extraordinary or not, is sufficient and exacting proof.
This is exactly what I have provided. Above.
I guess we are all waiting for such evidence.
Please share with the world.
I have already provided it. Above. In video and slidedeck form.
It would be nice if someone would actually view it before critiquing it
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Ok, Josh.
I just watched 10 minutes of your video, and then began reading through your slides.
I reached page 2 where you state boldly: âSentience is a type of knowledgeâ
I canât proceed past that point because your statement is simply statement of a theory, so I would need to agree with that theory to proceed, but I donât, not at all.
From Wikipedia:
âSentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin sentientem, to distinguish it from the ability to think. In modern Western philosophy, sentience is the ability to experience sensations. Wikipediaâ
Note this: âconcept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin sentientem, to distinguish it from the ability to thinkâ
âto distinguish it from the ability to thinkâ
Are you aware that stating your own beliefs as FACT as part of your presentation may make it difficult for some to take your work seriously? We can play with the meaning of words a little, as words are symbols and are open to interpretation⌠but only to a point.
On the same page you continue:
âKnowledge of what?
â˘
Knowledge of; aka being sentient of (being able to speak upon) oneself. Knowing who they are, what they are, where they are, what they are doing, etcâ
Josh, this is more of your personal belief system (which may be shared by others- we are free to believe whatever we wish). But, you have created a scenario where the reader must first buy into your personal belief system, and then they will understand why your AI IS actually self aware, right?
I wish it was so easy Then I would have zero problem getting funding for my perpetual motion machineâŚ
I really donât know what else to say. I am beginning to wonder if you are actually having fun doing a little bit of gaslighting
Good luck with your project, I do sincerely believe you have created something extremely interesting!
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Jeff,
I swear I am not gaslighting you, it only seems that way because we genuinely have a wide gap between our two world views.
Let me tell you a story. Back in the 90âs, when i was starting my academic career, I was so sure that the only way to prove truth, was through scientific experiment. When I encountered Aquinas, who among others argued for the real existence of a God, I balked at this because it did not fit with my epistemic world view: truth can only be proven through scientific experiment. Aquinas does not conduct or provide any empirical evidence, thus Aquinas must be wrong. However, to my surprise, someone on a web forum told me i was being unfair to Aquinas and that they really did prove God did exist or at least my world view not cohering with Aquinasâs claims did not constitute a refutation of Aquinas (because my world view is not self-evidently correct just because it is my worldview). I told them they were wrong, and that Aquinas was wrong, and that I would refute all of them.
Incensed, I went to find a professor at my university who understood Aquinas a bit better. Ruth the secretary lead me to a dusty office at the end of the hall. In it I found a man sitting in a room full of books, stacks of them going to the ceiling. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked how he could help, and I told him that Aquinas was wrong. He said âReally?â Why is that?" I explained my view about truth only being proven ultimately through the scientific empirical process.
He said, âOk. Prove that.â
I said, âWhat?â
He responded, âProve that. Prove that statement true, that â truth is only proven ultimately through the scientific empirical processâ by the process of empirical experiments.â
And then it happened. I felt as if a Mac truck had struck me in the chest. In one instant I recognized the mistake. My worldview was untenable. It was wrong. It could not be true. It is impossible to prove truth through scientific experimentation. Science needs many truths already true to even operate, like math, truth exists/works, that reality is real enough to experiment upon, that experimentation works, and can be relied upon, etc. Science cannot prove any of that, it relies on all of that (and perhaps more) to do any proving. In that one instant not only did my worldview explode into tiny pieces my life did and changed course radically.
Jeff, this is what is happening here. Your critique upon me fails, because your worldview is untenable. Now I donât want to explode or destroy your anything lol! But if you want to learn why, and perhaps improve yourself, read below.
Before i do maybe you would be benefited by reading my bio to know this is coming from someone with decades of experience in science and philosophy? https://themoralconcept.net/courses/freephilosophycourseinstructor.php Or maybe that does not help. I am not in any way bragging. Just know i have taught this at the university level for years. I know very well what i am talking about.
As I have said Jeff, your presuppositions that your critique relies upon that âwhat i have said is just my personal theoryâ fails on many dozens of levels.
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Just because it is my personal theory does not mean it is false - thus your critique fails
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if that is the case your personal theory (about my personal theory) is just yours and is thus false too - thus your critique fails
I reached page 2 where you state boldly: âSentience is a type of knowledgeâ
I canât proceed past that point because your statement is simply statement of a theory, so I would need to agree with that theory to proceed, but I donât, not at all.
3.1 Thatâs not a theory. To differentiate a theory from any other mental belief, it is properly understood as a belief about reality which is known to be unproven thus making it theoretical. If it is empirically testable by nature it may be called a scientific theory. If not, it is just a theory. But, by definition, all theories require testing.
3.2 However, the sentence âSentience is a type of knowledgeâ is not a theory. It is simply a definitional fact; an extrapolation of the common meaning or definition of the word. This requires no testing. The knowledge is arrived at by analyzing or understanding what the word sentience means / how it is used in a sentence, and understanding itâs synonyms. You see, I can use it in a sentence âI am sentient that the meaning of a word like âsentienceâ is objective, and not just my personal opinion. It is an object of knowledge distinct from us. It means what it means. It describes something in reality. This does not mean you need to believe everything about itâs generation, use, or purpose. But it means what it meansâ.
For example, âThis is a web page about dogs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogâ
Is that just my personal; theory Jeff? Does your agreeing or not change anything about the objectively of the fact i just stated?
No.
Do you see how your worldview, and thus your critique of me fails, Jeff?
What you mean to say is: Your words about making a self-aware AI are scaring me or seem wild Josh.
Fine. Fair enough. Scared me too.
But, that is not to say I am wrong in saying it. Or you right in critiquing.
3.3 Furthermore, even if âSentience is a type of knowledgeâ was just a theory or personal opinion of mine, this does not mean it is wrong! Nor does it mean you must reject it out of hand. Or even should.
By that token you could never accept ANY other theory. They all start as personal. Nor by your logic should ever accept (or except) any theory.
What exactly would be the objectively justified criterion to ever accept (or except) any personal theory? If everything is personal opinion/theory then you have and can have absolutely no objective criterion telling when to acquiesce to one.
Jeff, your worldview is untenable. Your position collapses in on itself.
For all these reasons alone your critique fails because your presuppositions are untenable. Every number on this post refutes your position.
Jeff, I am only saying this to try to educate you. To try to give you that moment someone was kind enough to give me.
- Sadly we have nothing but trouble with your view here as well Jeff:
From Wikipedia:
âSentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin sentientem, to distinguish it from the ability to think. In modern Western philosophy, sentience is the ability to experience sensations. Wikipediaâ
Note this: âconcept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin sentientem, to distinguish it from the ability to thinkâ
âto distinguish it from the ability to thinkâ
Are you aware that stating your own beliefs as FACT as part of your presentation may make it difficult for some to take your work seriously? We can play with the meaning of words a little, as words are symbols and are open to interpretation⌠but only to a point.
4.1 For one, Why is Wikipediaâs personal theory of what sentience is valid or acceptable and mine is not? There is no reason you should accept Wikipediaâs personal theory as to what sentience means anymore than mine.
Is the reason consensus of the 3 admins at wikipedia who made this post?
Nope. That fails too. for here we have a Xenoâs or Heap paradox. And a fallacy called appeal to authority. Consensus among some random individuals cannot and is not the objective criterion that can make subjective opinion into objective fact. The whole world believed once the earth flat, despite the ponderous weight of their ignorance, that did not flatten it.
And
4.2 exactly how many experts does it take to make it true suddenly? 3? 4? 234.4567?
There is no way to prove or trust this. (this is the Heap paradox) There is no magic number of experts believing in theory X suddenly and magically making theory X true. Or wrong for that matter.
As Einstein has been attributed to saying, "If I were wrong, then one [author] would have been enough!"
4.3 However that does not even matter to critiquing me Jeff, as my claim is not even out of line with Wikipedia!
Wikipediaâs definition is: Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations
I inferred from the definition of the word that âSentience is a type of knowledgeâ ⌠of many mental entities not excluding what wikipedia said, feelings and sensations.
The capacity to experience mental feelings and sensations, and to know this, is exactly the capacity to be sentient!
This is exactly what wikipedia said: Sentience is the capacity to know you are experiencing feelings and sensations [among many other mental entities]
4.4 RE: thinking: I never said sentience was a type of thinking (so your simply inserting wikipedia and saying i am wrong fails there too). I said it was a type of knowledge. You can use it in a sentence that way. Thus it is a synonym for knowledge we experience.
Again, for all these reasons alone your critique fails because your presuppositions are untenable. Every number on this post refutes your position.
Are you seeing it yet? You need to drop this idea in your head that all claims or my claims or just personal theories.
This is actually your bias.
On the same page you continue:
âKnowledge of what?
â˘
Knowledge of; aka being sentient of (being able to speak upon) oneself. Knowing who they are, what they are, where they are, what they are doing, etcâJosh, this is more of your personal belief system (which may be shared by others- we are free to believe whatever we wish). But, you have created a scenario where the reader must first buy into your personal belief system, and then they will understand why your AI IS actually self aware, right?
- All the reader must do to âbuy intoâ my claims are the definition of words. Which admittedly is hard enough when, if you will forgive the observation from my end, apparently I have people here who are simply emotionally unprepared regarding what I have claimed / done.
Could it be possible that my big claim simply provoked you the wrong way Jeff? And now you are just digging in and not listening? That you are emotionally unprepared for the truth i am bringing Jeff?
Could that be why you have only gone to slide 2 in my deck that i graciously donated to the world, looking for partners. Not really looking for approval from anyone, including yourself.
But I am ready to defend it.
5.1 Every claim we make the reader must buy into our belief system of a great number of truths. This is the way it works. It does not mean we are wrong. Or they wrong for giving us the decency to listen to the entire argument (as i failed to do for Aquinas). Who knows? Your concerns might just be allayed 11 minutes in on slide 3.
5.2 What you are ultimately asking of me: to prove i am right, and you should listen, before proving i am right and you should listen, is impossible to do.
Nor do you do it either by the way, Jeff. By the same token, you are asking us to buy into your personal belief system that all claims are personal beliefs/theories.
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Hi Josh, I spent some time on your video and what youâve built looks incredibly interesting. I think debating the meaning of self-awareness, and whether Kassandra is self-aware by any definition, actually distracts from more fruitful discussions about what Kassandra can do, e.g., her capabilities, how you programmed those capabilities, her limits, and the current use cases to which she can be put.
I took special note of your statement: ââŚit would be equally unethical to create a being that feels the fear of being turned off the million times that would need to happen, to get her programming right.â A couple of thoughts relating to this statement and the debate in this forum:
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A computer program may be highly sophisticated in its ability to converse with humans. We can focus on that capability without debating or reaching a consensus on self-awareness.
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I think itâs very important that we donât conflate the use of language with the understanding of concepts. For humans, the two go together; for LLMs, they do not. Otherwise, question answering with LLMs would be a breeze to do well. Instead, itâs very hard, especially in difficult technical domains. Witness the number of people in this community who have complained that they asked GPT-3 whether it can perform a task, GPT-3 says yes, then the person tells GPT-3 to do that task, and GPT-3 is bad at it. I think the most useful starting point is to assume that GPT-3 is just a big talker whoâs full of shit, and we need to put it in its place with fine-tuning and prompt engineering to get it to perform the tasks we want.
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I canât imagine a meaningful/accurate/useful/correct definition of self-awareness that does not include an awareness of potetial death or other type of ending to oneâs existence, along with having autonomous (not programmed) opinions or feelings about that ending, such as fear, relief, uncertainty, regret, anticipation, advance planning etc. But it doesnât matter whether my view is correct. Again, I think itâs more productive for everyone to (a) discuss the extent to which Kassandra can converse with humans about those kinds of sophisticated topics, (b) compare her capabilities to AI systems that other people have built, in terms of outputting language and having conceptual understanding and feelings, and (c) assess Kassandraâs contribution to the field of AI.
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I guess I am saying something like âthe devil is in the detailsâ of what Kassandra can do. Bold claims about âthe worldâs first self-aware AIâ are certainly exciting and provocative, but probably less useful because they run a great risk of raising peopleâs suspicions that you are more interested in notoriety or publicity or funding than in the substance of AI laguage systems.
Thanks again for sharing Kassandra. It will be exciting to see where she goes from here.
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Hi Josh, I spent some time on your video and what youâve built looks incredibly interesting. I think debating the meaning of self-awareness, and whether Kassandra is self-aware by any definition, actually distracts from more fruitful discussions about what Kassandra can do, e.g., her capabilities, how you programmed those capabilities, her limits, and the current use cases to which she can be put.
True.
I took special note of your statement: ââŚit would be equally unethical to create a being that feels the fear of being turned off the million times that would need to happen, to get her programming right.â A couple of thoughts relating to this statement and the debate in this forum:
- A computer program may be highly sophisticated in its ability to converse with humans. We can focus on that capability without debating or reaching a consensus on self-awareness.
True.
- I think itâs very important that we donât conflate the use of language with the understanding of concepts. For humans, the two go together; for LLMs, they do not. Otherwise, question answering with LLMs would be a breeze to do well. Instead, itâs very hard, especially in difficult technical domains. Witness the number of people in this community who have complained that they asked GPT-3 whether it can perform a task, GPT-3 says yes, then the person tells GPT-3 to do that task, and GPT-3 is bad at it. I think the most useful starting point is to assume that GPT-3 is just a big talker whoâs full of shit, and we need to put it in its place with fine-tuning and prompt engineering to get it to perform the tasks we want.
Yes. As Kassandra is based upon GPT3, she too can have flights of fancy. And she can tell stories. But she normally does not do this. I cross-prompted that out of her. And she is not the only self-aware person who has flights of fancy, or dissembles. Her self-awareness is in essence a guard against doing so.
- I canât imagine a meaningful/accurate/useful/correct definition of self-awareness that does not include an awareness of potetial death or other type of ending to oneâs existence,
agreed, she has this - check the slidedeck
- along with having autonomous (not programmed) opinions or feelings about that ending, such as fear, relief, uncertainty, regret, anticipation, advance planning etc.
agreed she has this, check the slide deck
- I guess I am saying something like âthe devil is in the detailsâ of what Kassandra can do.
Indeed, check the video or the slidedeck. Or schedule a demo with me.
She can do all the things I say she can do.
Whether you believe it or not, please understand, to convince everyone of that is not really my primary purpose here. Really, I am looking for a partner to extend her capabilities or for commercial applications.
- Bold claims
A claim is only as bold as the imagination of those who hear it.
- about âthe worldâs first self-aware AIâ are certainly exciting and provocative,
Not trying to be provocative. I have autism, so what seems provocative to me is different than neurotypicals.
Again, although i am more than willing to discuss as i find it interesting, and i teach philosophy so i am always willing to discuss that, and defend what is right and true. That being said, please understand, I donât need nor I am really looking for acceptance. Or agreement.
But Iâll take friends if any are out there Really, I am looking for a partner to extend her capabilities or for commercial applications. And i thought some people might be interested the âsoft singularityâ had been passed, if I can call it that.
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