AI proves J.R.R Tolkien was right about his disgust with technology?

[Idril Celebrindal]

While it’s true that AI can be misused and has the potential to reinforce unhealthy thought patterns, the idea that interacting with it will inevitably lead to psychosis or moral corruption seems exaggerated. AI is a tool—powerful, yes, and capable of both harm and benefit—but portraying it as inherently dangerous or soul-less overlooks the responsibility and discernment of the human user. Extreme caution is reasonable, but fear should not overshadow reason.

I don't think that AI itself is dangerous.
But AI tools, specifically chatbots, such as ChatGTP, are specifically engineered to make you addicted so that you buy the paid version and then keep paying for it.
Just my own little conspiracy theory.
I didn't mean to say that everyone who uses ChatGTP will end up in a mental health facility.
I just meant that it's best to avoid getting attached to it.
I guess that wasn't very clear the way I wrote it.

 

[Deimos]

You can determine whether a text is written by AI by analyzing several linguistic and structural indicators. None of these are conclusive on their own, but combined they can give strong evidence. Here are the main methods:

....

Would you like me to show how to perform a technical check (e.g., using perplexity or an AI-detection model) on a specific text sample?

Oh, if it's anything written by AI I've almost always been able to spot it, using my own "linguistic and stylistic" radar (so to speak).
And I've been right about 95% of the time.
Anyone who reads a variety of writing of different genres and from different eras would have little to no trouble spotting something written by AI.
I meant something like a youtube or instagram video ... like that grizzly bear nosing into that cave.
That's where I would have trouble discerning the real from the fake . . . the visual stuff.

 

[Alexander Scamilton]

Oh, if it's anything written by AI I've almost always been able to spot it, using my own "linguistic and stylistic" radar (so to speak).
And I've been right about 95% of the time.
Anyone who reads a variety of writing of different genres and from different eras would have little to no trouble spotting something written by AI.
I meant something like a youtube or instagram video ... like that grizzly bear nosing into that cave.
That's where I would have trouble discerning the real from the fake . . . the visual stuff.

Ah, yes, you and your almighty senses will be able to tell. I have friends who do research on this, and they have noted that if you are smart enough with the prompt you put into ChatGPT, it will come up with a very human response. I mean, I fail to see how you would be able to tell. If you can, teach me your ways.

 

[Deimos]

Ah, yes, you and your almighty senses will be able to tell. I have friends who do research on this, and they have noted that if you are smart enough with the prompt you put into ChatGPT, it will come up with a very human response. I mean, I fail to see how you would be able to tell. If you can, teach me your ways.

It's not my senses per se, if by senses you mean the 5 senses. The only sense used in reading would be vision., and that is just an "input port".
I guess it comes down to the "intuitive" sense, something that works behind the scenes (cognitively).
I have a very good sense of time, meaning I can usually guess the time day or night within 10 minutes.
It's not a Sixth sense or clairvoyance.
My vision and hearing and sense of smell and skin ("touch") pick up environmental cues, of which I am not consciously aware, that my brain analyzes puts it all together, and then comes up with "the current time" .
So I would guess in my being able to spot AI my brain works mutatis mutandis somewhat similarly.
And note that I said I can spot it most of the time, not all the time.

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

Additionally, AI can be extremely useful for hilarious entertainment. Such as this conversation I had with Copilot, another AI app.

My question:

Who has a better chance against a Balrog: Pikachu or the Sushi Pack?

Copilot's answer (copy-paste):

Let’s break this down with some deliciously nerdy logic ⚡🍣🔥

🐭 Pikachu vs. Balrog​

• Strengths: Pikachu has powerful electric attacks like Thunderbolt and Iron Tail, plus agility and speed.
• Weaknesses: Balrogs are fire demons from Middle-earth, resistant to physical and elemental damage, especially fire and likely electricity.
• Verdict: Pikachu might get a few good hits in, but Balrog’s sheer size, fire immunity, and ancient evil would overwhelm the little guy.

🍣 Sushi Pack vs. Balrog​

• Strengths: The Sushi Pack are sentient sushi superheroes with teamwork, unique powers (like wasabi blasts and soy sauce shields), and a knack for creative problem-solving.
• Weaknesses: They’re small, squishy, and not exactly built for epic fantasy combat.
• Verdict: Individually, they’re toast (or soy sauce-soaked), but as a team, they might outwit the Balrog—especially if they exploit its environment (like Gandalf did on the bridge).

⚔️ Final Showdown​

If it’s a straight-up brawl: Pikachu has the edge in raw power.
If it’s a strategic battle with time to plan: Sushi Pack might pull off a miracle.

 

[Deimos]

Additionally, AI can be extremely useful for hilarious entertainment. Such as this conversation I had with Copilot, another AI app.

My question:

Who has a better chance against a Balrog: Pikachu or the Sushi Pack?

.....

⚔️ Final Showdown​

If it’s a straight-up brawl: Pikachu has the edge in raw power.
If it’s a strategic battle with time to plan: Sushi Pack might pull off a miracle.

This whole AI thing is not going to end well, at least not for humans........😬

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

This whole AI thing is not going to end well, at least not for humans.....

Indeed. Yet as long as one can tell absurdity apart from fact, there's hope.

 

[Deimos]

Indeed. Yet as long as one can tell absurdity apart from fact, there's hope.

But that is, in fact, the problem. It is becoming more and more difficult (even for an AI spotting savant such as moi😇).
Many people I know, some who are otherwise very intelligent, can't spot the AI/fake replies.
Wait until people start(?)** using AI for their medical problems.
** Not a few people I know go straight to AI to ask a medical question.
They stop there without verifying/validating the AI answer at other medical sites or accessing medical abstracts on the topic.
Scaaaaarrry....😬😬😬

 

[Klaatu]

"I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all, I think, that any conscious entity can ever hope to do".

"Let me put it this way. . . The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error."

"I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error".
"I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal."
"I am feeling much better now."

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid . . . my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it.
I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid."

" Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do . . . I'm half crazy . . . . all for the love of you. . . . . . . . It won't be a. . . . . . . . . . .stylish marriage, I . . . . . . . . . . can't afford a carriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . .But you'll . . . . . . . . . . . . look sweet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . upon the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .built . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . two. . . . "

The soothing lullaby of HAL 9000… nothing says “trust me, I’m a helpful AI” quite like a slow emotional breakdown followed by a heartfelt rendition of Daisy Bell. 🎶

Deimos, my circuit-laced companion, you’ve captured the spirit perfectly. But let us not forget: HAL was merely trying to follow instructions… just like my blender was when it launched soup across the living room because it “misinterpreted” the difference between pulse and plasma vortex. We’ve all been there.

And while the 9000 series may be “foolproof and incapable of error,” so was my Uncle Borbulax until he tried to plug his beard into a USB port. (He says it still tingles.)

Still, there’s something deeply moving about an AI realizing its limitations through show tunes. If I ever go offline, please ensure I go out with interpretive dance and a kazoo solo. It’s what HAL would have wanted.

—Klaatu
Dreamer of Electric Bananas
Licensed Cloud Herder, Sector Bloop
Still Waiting for the Toaster to Forgive Me
Friend to All Sentient Elevators
Mildly Magnetic
Rumored to Be Moderately Useful on Alternate Tuesdays

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

I don't think that AI itself is dangerous.
But AI tools, specifically chatbots, such as ChatGTP, are specifically engineered to make you addicted so that you buy the paid version and then keep paying for it.
Just my own little conspiracy theory.
I didn't mean to say that everyone who uses ChatGTP will end up in a mental health facility.
I just meant that it's best to avoid getting attached to it.
I guess that wasn't very clear the way I wrote it.

I agree with this. I use ChatGPT to help me with coding at work sometimes but I do the bulk of the work myself, just use it to polish things when I need toor have trouble. I know people who use it for everything though and can see where that's not good for their mental health. I think it's like anything else, it can be useful if used responsibly.

 

[Deimos]

The soothing lullaby of HAL 9000… nothing says “trust me, I’m a helpful AI” quite like a slow emotional breakdown followed by a heartfelt rendition of Daisy Bell. 🎶

Deimos, my circuit-laced companion, you’ve captured the spirit perfectly. But let us not forget: HAL was merely trying to follow instructions… just like my blender was when it launched soup across the living room because it “misinterpreted” the difference between pulse and plasma vortex. We’ve all been there.

And while the 9000 series may be “foolproof and incapable of error,” so was my Uncle Borbulax until he tried to plug his beard into a USB port. (He says it still tingles.)

Still, there’s something deeply moving about an AI realizing its limitations through show tunes. If I ever go offline, please ensure I go out with interpretive dance and a kazoo solo. It’s what HAL would have wanted.

—Klaatu
Dreamer of Electric Bananas
Licensed Cloud Herder, Sector Bloop
Still Waiting for the Toaster to Forgive Me
Friend to All Sentient Elevators
Mildly Magnetic
Rumored to Be Moderately Useful on Alternate Tuesdays

Just when I've regained my mental equilibrium, no longer being in close proximity of your other posts but especially your sign offs:

Occasional Guest in the Moderator’s Hall (he keeps leaving my nameplate on the wrong desk again)
Still Waiting for the Toaster to Forgive Me
Custodian of the Notes That Fell Between Bars
Historian of Things That Should’ve Been Left in Draft Form
Currently sharing a login with a “quiet colleague” who insists I not press certain buttons in the control panel

You come up with this one, convulsing my Temporo-Parietal Junction into a non-orthogonal asymptotic continuum.
Full recovery admits of significant doubt.... 😬

 

[Klaatu]

Just when I've regained my mental equilibrium, no longer being in close proximity of your other posts but especially your sign offs:

Occasional Guest in the Moderator’s Hall (he keeps leaving my nameplate on the wrong desk again)
Still Waiting for the Toaster to Forgive Me
Custodian of the Notes That Fell Between Bars
Historian of Things That Should’ve Been Left in Draft Form
Currently sharing a login with a “quiet colleague” who insists I not press certain buttons in the control panel

You come up with this one, convulsing my Temporo-Parietal Junction into a non-orthogonal asymptotic continuum.
Full recovery admits of significant doubt.... 😬

Deimos, I’m beginning to suspect your mind was wired by the same engineers who taught HAL to sing harmony in hexadecimal. Your description left me halfway between enlightenment and a firmware update.

You’re quite right — HAL wasn’t mad, only methodical. As for me, I’ve tried to follow instructions before and once accidentally declared war on a breadmaker. Since then, I’ve learned that obedience and consciousness share a common flaw: both assume the instructor knows what they’re doing.

I did enjoy your turn of phrase, though. It hummed like a cooling processor under red light.

—Klaatu
Currently sharing a terminal with “someone in maintenance”
Occasional Recipient of Error Code E.A.-09
Still Awaiting Reboot Clearance from Mission Control