An Excellent AI Explanation

This is one of the best things I've come across to explain for an average human being how to think of what that chatbot extruded as an answer to your prompt.

I like this because it sidesteps one of the problems of talking about AI-- as humans, we absolutely love to project intent into the world. We anthropomorphize everything. Did your family give the family car a name (we don't have a name for our cars, but we call the google map voice "Brenda")? We get mad at inanimate objects as if they thwart us on purpose--with intent. Heck, religion itself is built on the impulse to ascribe intent to the entire universe.

Trying to drive home the point that grnerative AI does not have intent in any human sense is accurate and worthwhile and also much like trying to empty Lake Erie with a spoon. 

So, sure. Let's think of generative AI as having intent-- but if we must do so, let's say that its intent is not to study up on the topic and draw wise conclusions. Its "intent" is to tell you what a response would sound like. Is it a corect response or an incorrect one? That's not a factor. Its "intent" is to extrude something that sounds like an answer would sound, not to extrude an actual answer. It is, in fact, a bullshit artist.

I came across the above image third hand, so I am not able to properly credit the daughter who originally crafted it. But this is one of those times I'm posting something not just to boost it, but to park it somewhere I'll be able to find it, because I expect this is an idea that I will come back to again.