Intellectual creativity, humans-in-the-loop, and AI: Part 2, Interpreting Jaws

This is the second post in my series, Intellectual creativity, humans-in-the-loop, and AI. The first post set the theme: On the boundaries of cognition in humans and machines. The idea is simple: These days LLM-based AIs are given specific tasks, which I’m thinking of as imposing a boundary on the underlying model within which a solution is to be found/generated. The most interesting situation, though, is one where there is no boundary set. Rather, the task is to discover a problem one can work on, which I’m thinking of as imposing a boundary in the space. Here’s my first case, creating a Girardian interpretation of Steve Spielberg’s Jaws.

I’m using that as an example because, a) I did my own interpretation a couple of years ago (February 28 2022), so I remember the process, and b) more recently I had ChatGPT interpret the film (December 5, 2022), though, to be honest, comparing two performances is a distant second to my recollection of my own procress. What’s important about ChatGPT’s performance is that I gave it both the “text” (broadly understood) to interpret, and the conceptual lens though which to make the interpretation, the ideas of René Girard. ChatGPT had a specific task to perform. By contrast, I had no intention of interpreting Jaws when I decided to watch it a couple of years ago. How and why did I decide to interpret Jaws? That’s the issue.

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By way of background, I’m trained as a literary critic and I have a long-standing interest in films. I all but majored in literature as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins in the 1970s, where I heard Girard lecture on mimetic desire and sacrifice, his central ideas. I also attended two university-sponsored film series while I was there, one on foreign films and the other on American films. I got a Ph.D. in English at SUNY Buffalo in the 1970s, where I also attended a number of film series.

Thus interpreting texts is my business. I’ve done a lot of it in the last half-century. It’s something my mind has been organized to do. And, while films and novels, not to mention plays and poems, are quite different kinds of texts, to a first approximation (which is sufficient to my purpose here), they are the same kind of activity. You need to identify two things, a suitable text and “a way in.”

What makes a text suitable? The fact that you have a way in. What do I mean by a way in? An “angle,” a point of entry, somewhere to apply some idea to the text in a fruitful way. I tend to draw my ideas from psychology, psychoanalytic and cognitive, and structuralism and semiotics. In this case, I chose the ideas of René Girard, though it might be more accurate to say that those ideas chose me (& Jaws). In any event, though I’ve been acquainted with Girard since the 1960s, this is the only time I’ve used his ideas in interpreting a text.

Watching Jaws

But, as I’ve said, I had no such thing in mind when I decided to watch Jaws back in 2021. I hadn’t seen it when it first came out (in 1975), but I knew it was an important film, the first so-called blockbuster. I decided it was time to watch.

I should note however, that as interpreting texts is my business, I’m always of the lookout for interesting texts. I have a series of media notes on New Savanna that dates back for May of 2010, almost the beginning of the blog, though the first post explicitly labeled as a media note didn’t go up until June of 2019. Any movie or TV program I watch could end up in a media note, and the occasional YouTube video as well. Media notes are, for the most part, quick dirty posts that I write up in an hour or so, sometimes less, occasionally a bit more. They’re not meant to be anything more. I never know when I watch something whether or not it will end up in a media note. And, as proved to be the case with Jaws, every once in a while I become really interested in something.

Keeping that in mind as deep background, I cued Jaws up on Netflix and watched it. Afterward I took a look at the Wikipedia entry. I do this for most of the movies I stream online, and for many of the TV series as well. I think of it as ‘calibration.’ I want to review the film and get a rough sense of what’s been said about the film. Jaws is such an important film that the entry was relatively large. There were a lot of comments by critics offering various interpretations of what the shark stood for, but the one I found most interesting was that by Fredrick Jamison, a well-known Marxist literary critic. He asserted it mean anything, everything, and nothing (in particular). I liked that.

But what I latched on to were the remarks about the sequels. There were three of them, all of them inferior to the original. I decided to take a look.

Now, I’m interested. I didn’t have anything in mind. But I like watching movies, so why not?

I like Jaws 2, but could see that it wasn’t quite as good as the original. I was unable to finish watching the other two sequels. Jaws 4 was especially wretched. In this process I’m sure I read the Wikipedia entries for those movies as well and re-read the entry for Jaws.

How did I arrive at those judgments? At this point I don’t recall, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t use any specific process. It was just intuitive judgements. How do we make those?

At this point I asked myself: So Jaws 2 is inferior to Jaws, why? I don’t know how long it took me to arrive at this conclusion, but here it is: the original film was tighter? What does that mean? Well, it falls into two parts. The first part is about 3/5ths of the film and takes place in Amity, with many people doing this that and the other. It’s pretty chaotic. The second part involves only four characters, three humans and the shark. It’s much more tightly focused. There’s no such division in Jaws 2, which involves many people through the entire film. The action is more diffuse.

The game is afoot

OK, so what makes the original one tick? I spent a good deal of time thinking about the three-way interaction between the shark, and two factions of townspeople. One faction wanted to close the beaches until the shark about been found and killed (or had been known to leave). The other faction wanted to keep the beaches open so that the town could rake in tourist dollars, which were central to the local economy. In the end, though, the town decided that they had to close the beaches and hire someone to kill the shark.

That brings us to the second part of the film. The town hired Quint, a disagreeable old shark hunter who agreed to do the job for $10,000. Sheriff Brody and Matt Hooper, a marine biologist and shark expert, went with him. I settled on one question: Why did Quint have to die? Why didn’t sheriff or Hooper die?

I’ve not yet decided to write an article, but I sense that I’m on to something.

At this point I’m thinking about story-telling conventions. Jaws tells a certain kind of story. In this kind of story the monster, or whatever, must be killed, otherwise there’s no point. Well, the shark was killed, but why Quint as well? One possible answer: Well, we can’t make it too easy. Someone has to die more or less on general principle. Why not Quint? After all, he’s a rather unpleasant character.

How does Quint’s death affect the ending? That is to say, in this kind of story we generally have a celebratory ending when the heroes return home after the monster was vanquished. Jaws didn’t have such an ending.

I’m in!

And then it hit me: Quint’s the sacrificial victim! Not the shark. Bingo! Girard, mimetic desire, sacrifice.

Crudely put, as best as I can remember, that’s how it happened. All these things came together at once. I had my way in, my point of conceptual departure. This is when I decided to write about the movie.

I made notes, read more about the movie, read some Girard, and consulted with my friend David Porush, who had studied with Girard in graduate school (a half century ago). I still had a lot of work to do, but it was all fairly tightly focused. I remember, for example, spending a fair amount of time tracking down scripts so that I could get the exact wording for Quint’s speech about being on the USS Indianapolis in WWII when the ship was sunk and lost half the crew to sharks. I wasn’t able to find a version with the actual words on the screen, so I ended up having to transcribe it myself. Why did I do that? Because it was about sharks and Quint, that’s why. Details. Interpretations are built on lots of details. Another detail: Sheriff Brody telling the mayor:

This summer’s had it. Next summer’s had it. You’re the mayor of Shark City. You wanted to keep the beaches open. What happens when the town finds out about that?

“Shark City,” and important detail. And so forth.

And that, more or less, is how I ended up writing about Jaws. I watched the film in 2021. I may have watched Jaws 2 at that time as well. I forget what brought me back to the film a year later. Maybe nothing in particular. I was just curious. I watched it again and curiosity became interest and interest grew into a written article over the course of two or three weeks.

I made my first New Savanna post about Jaws on Feb. 9, 2022. It was a long one, almost 5K words. My 3 Quarks Daily article appeared on February 28.

What kind of a process is that?

I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure it depends on my education, interests, and decades of experience. What’s interesting is that it wasn’t until near the end of the process, after I’d watched Jaws three or perhaps four times, and Jaws 2 at least two times, and after I’d done quite a bit of thinking about the films, only then did I come up with a specific interpretive approach. The thinking that led to that was based on my knowledge of stories and conventions and my experience in reasoning about them.

It took all that to, in effect, place a boundary in my mind, a boundary within which I could conduct the detailed reasoning needed to produce a written interpretation. How do we produce an AI that’s capable to producing such a boundary? When I prompted ChatGPT to using Girard’s ideas to interpret Jaws, I gave it that boundary. I could then work within that bounded region to produce an interpretation, and even then I had to nudge it along here and there.

Roughly speaking, then, we have two very different intellectual processes. The first starts with me going about my everyday life, which includes watching streaming movies. I chose Jaws to fill in a gap in my knowledge of popular movies. Once I’d read the Wikipedia entry and decided, hey! I should watch the sequels, then I began an open-ended process with no specific endpoint. But I knew, from my years of experience, that one can learn things about texts by comparing them with other texts. That’s what I set out do to.

And so I began exploring a largish and loosely defined area of my “mindspace.” That exploration ended when I focused on Quint and Girard’s ideas about mimetic desire and sacrifice popped into my mind. I want to emphasize that point. Girard’s ideas came to me unbidden. I was not, for example, looking through my “inventory” of interpretive strategies, looking for a way in. If I’d done that, then I might not have looked at Girard at all, for I’ve never made such use of his ideas. Rather, they’re just some ideas that stuck in my mind from my undergraduate days.

This first process took place over a period that started in sometime in 2021 when I watched the film, probably three quarters of a way though (I don’t know the exact date) and lasted until late January of 2022. I certainly wasn’t thinking about the film during that whole time, but I may well have thought about it now and then until January, 2022, when I went at it. I took me, say, a week or two of work, every day or every other day, before Girard hit me. That’s when the second process took over. It was faster and more intense.

Once my mind had presented me with the connection between Girard and Quint, though, I knew that I had something worth working on. At that point I began a different kind of process, one focused on refining my interpretive hypothesis and gathering evidence for it. I went looking for Girardian materials on the web – my library is in storage, so the two books I own, Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, and Violence and the Sacred, weren’t available. I read general articles, an interview or two, and some short interpretive pieces. That’s when I went looking for scripts of Jaws and articles about it. And that’s when I consulted with my old friend, David.

The contention in this series is that the current crop of AIs can undertake this second kind of process, but not the first. I don’t even know how we’d create a machine that can undergo the process. How do we endow a machine with the ability to make its way in the world, and then set it free to do that?

ChatGPT offers several interpretations of Jaws and gets bogged down in a question about a tune Quint referenced

I’ve had two posts in which ChatGPT offers Girardian interpretations of Jaws. Can it do other kinds of interpretations? Let’s find out. But is there any doubt that it can?

This session took place on January 4, 2023. I opened by asking ChatGPT, once again, about Girard. Since we’ve already seen it do that, I’m going to drop those (I got two). Here, without comment, I offer a Marxist, a psychoanalytic, and a feminist interpretation.

How about a Marxist interpretation?

A Marxist interpretation of Jaws might focus on the ways in which the film reflects and reinforces capitalist ideologies and values.

One aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a Marxist perspective is the character of Quint, who is the owner of a fishing boat and is motivated by profit and personal gain. Quint sees the shark as a threat to his livelihood and is willing to take extreme measures to hunt and kill it, even though it puts him and others in danger. This can be seen as a metaphor for the way in which capitalism encourages individuals to prioritize their own self-interest over the well-being of the community and the natural world.

Another aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a Marxist perspective is the way in which the shark attacks are portrayed as a threat to the tourist industry, which is a major source of revenue for the town. This emphasis on economic stability and the importance of maintaining a positive image to attract tourists aligns with capitalist values that prioritize economic growth and consumerism.

It is also worth noting that Jaws was released at a time when Marxist theory and critiques of capitalism were becoming more influential and widely discussed, and it is possible that the film was influenced by these ideas in some way. However, it is also important to consider that the film was primarily intended as a thriller and entertainment, and may not have been consciously designed to promote or critique any particular ideology.

How about a psychoanalytic interpretation?

A psychoanalytic interpretation of Jaws might focus on the ways in which the film explores the unconscious mind and the psychological motivations of the characters.

One aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a psychoanalytic perspective is the character of Chief Brody, who is portrayed as a man who is struggling to come to terms with his own fears and anxieties. Throughout the film, Brody is shown to be afraid of the water, which could be seen as a metaphor for his unconscious fears and insecurities. His confrontation with the shark and eventual triumph over it can be interpreted as a metaphor for his own personal growth and development as he overcomes his fears and learns to face his anxieties head-on.

Another aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a psychoanalytic perspective is the character of the shark itself, which could be seen as a manifestation of the characters' unconscious desires and fears. The shark's relentless pursuit of its prey and its seemingly arbitrary attacks could be interpreted as a symbol of the unpredictable and sometimes destructive forces that lurk within the human psyche.

Overall, Jaws is a film that explores themes of fear, anxiety, and the ways in which individuals confront and overcome their own personal demons. These themes can be analyzed from a psychoanalytic perspective, which focuses on the unconscious mind and the psychological motivations of the characters.

How about a feminist interpretation?

A feminist interpretation of Jaws might focus on the ways in which the film portrays and reinforces gender roles and stereotypes, as well as the representation and agency of female characters.

One aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a feminist perspective is the character of Ellen Brody, the wife of Chief Brody. Ellen is portrayed as a typical 1970s housewife, with her primary role being to support and care for her husband and children. She is not involved in the shark-hunting efforts and is largely relegated to the background, with little agency or autonomy of her own. This portrayal of Ellen as a passive and supportive wife could be seen as reinforcing traditional gender roles and expectations for women.

Another aspect of the film that could be analyzed from a feminist perspective is the lack of prominent female characters. The film's central characters are all men, with the exception of Ellen, who has a limited role. This lack of representation and agency for women in the film could be seen as a reflection of the broader societal issues related to gender inequality.

Overall, Jaws is a film that, like many other works from its time period, reflects and reinforces traditional gender roles and stereotypes. A feminist interpretation of the film could analyze these representations and consider their broader implications and consequences.

In view of the violence against women in the film, I decided to explore further. Notice the ChatGPT gets confused about a song. I also note that I did quite a bit of checking “behind the scenes” in this session just to figure out what was up with that song.

Who was the shark’s first victim? Does that indicate anything about the film’s attitudes toward women? What did Quint think about women – remember the song he sang about bow-legged women?

In Jaws, the shark's first victim is a young woman named Chrissie Watkins, who is attacked and killed while skinny dipping in the ocean. It is possible to interpret this event as symbolizing the dangers and risks that women face, particularly in relation to their sexuality and the male gaze.

As for Quint's attitudes toward women, it is worth noting that the song he sings, "Show Me the Way to Go Home," contains lyrics that are derogatory and objectifying toward women. The lyrics, which refer to "bow-legged women" and "knock-kneed men," could be seen as reflecting Quint's objectification and disrespect of women. However, it is important to note that the song is not written or performed by Quint himself, but rather is a well-known standard that is included in the film's score. It is possible that the inclusion of the song is meant to be humorous or ironic, rather than a sincere expression of Quint's views.

But “Show me the way to go home” is different from the bow-legged women song. Quint and Brody and Hooper sang “Show me the way to go home” on the boat after dinner. They were drunk and “bonding.”

I apologize for the mistake in my previous response. You are correct that "Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a different song from the one that contains the lyrics about "bow-legged women."

The song "Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a well-known standard that is featured in the film's score and is sung by Chief Brody, Hooper, and Quint while they are on the boat after having dinner and drinking together. The lyrics of the song, which express a desire to return home and the confusion and disorientation of being lost, could be seen as reflecting the characters' current situation and their desire to return to a sense of safety and stability.

The song with the lyrics about "bow-legged women" is not sung by any of the characters in the film, but rather is heard as part of the film's score during a montage sequence that shows the shark hunting and attacking its prey. The lyrics of this song, which objectify and degrade women, could be seen as reflecting the predatory and ruthless nature of the shark and its relationship to its prey.

Second Time Around: Jaws and Girard

I decided to take another look at Jaws through Girard by ChatGPT. The first time out, in 3 Quarks Daily, I was careful and systematic, prompting ChatGPT separately about Jaws and about Girard before asking it to use Girard as a vehicle for interpreting Jaws – BTW, and FWIW, I hate the “interpretive lens” trope. This time I decided to go straight at it, asking ChatGPT to interpret Jaws through Girard in my first prompt.

Stephen Spielberg is an important film-maker. Jaws is one of his most important films because it is generally considered to be the first blockbuster. Rene Girard remains an important thinker. Can you use Girard’s ideas mimetic desire and sacrifice to analyze Jaws?

Rene Girard's concept of mimetic desire refers to the way in which human desires are often modeled on the desires of others. According to Girard, this process of imitation leads to conflict and competition as people strive to attain the same objects or status as those they desire.

Girard's concept of sacrifice, on the other hand, refers to the way in which societies use ritualized forms of violence to deflect conflict and restore social harmony. In many societies, this takes the form of animal or human sacrifice, in which a scapegoat is chosen to bear the blame for social tensions and is then punished or killed in order to expiate the guilt of the community.

In the film Jaws, the character of the shark could potentially be seen as a scapegoat, as it becomes the focus of the community's fear and anger, and ultimately must be destroyed in order to restore a sense of safety and security to the community. In this way, the film could be seen as exploring themes of mimetic desire and sacrifice in the context of a small beach community threatened by a perceived external threat.

The first two paragraphs, on Girard, are OK. But the application to Jaws is thin, saying nothing specific about mimetic desire. I asked for another response to the prompt:

Yes, it is possible to analyze the film "Jaws" using Rene Girard's concepts of mimetic desire and sacrifice.

Mimetic desire refers to the idea that we often desire things because we see others wanting them. In the case of "Jaws," the townspeople's desire to go to the beach and swim is influenced by the desire of others to do the same. This mimetic desire creates a sense of competition and rivalry, as people try to outdo each other in their enjoyment of the beach.

Girard's concept of sacrifice, on the other hand, refers to the idea that violence and conflict can be resolved through the ritual sacrifice of a scapegoat. In "Jaws," the townspeople's fear of the shark leads them to scapegoat the animal, and they come together to hunt and kill it as a way of restoring peace and order to the community. The shark becomes the sacrificial victim that allows the townspeople to resolve their conflicts and move on.

Overall, Girard's ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice can be used to analyze the themes of competition, desire, and violence in "Jaws."

This is much better. And notice how ChatGPT organizes its response. First we have Girard on mimetic desire along with an application to the film. Then we get sacrifice followed immediately by an application to the film. This is different from its first response.

Let’s spin the wheel again:

Certainly! Rene Girard's ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice can be used to analyze the film Jaws in a number of ways.

Mimetic desire, as described by Girard, refers to the way in which human desire is often shaped and influenced by the desires of others. In Jaws, this idea is evident in the way that the characters of Chief Martin Brody and Matt Hooper initially resist the idea of a killer shark, but eventually become fixated on the idea and begin to pursue it with a sense of competitive desire. This mimetic desire is further exacerbated by the presence of Quint, a professional shark hunter who serves as a model for the other characters' desire to catch the shark.

The idea of sacrifice is also central to Girard's thought and can also be seen in the film Jaws. In the film, the character of Quint ultimately sacrifices himself in order to save the others and kill the shark. This act of sacrifice serves to restore order to the community and bring an end to the chaos caused by the shark.

Overall, Girard's ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice can help to shed light on the underlying themes and conflicts in the film Jaws and provide a deeper understanding of the motivations and actions of the characters.

Roughly the same structure as the previous response but different applications. For mimetic desire we have Brody, Cooper, and Quint, in contrast to the townspeople previously. On sacrifice we have Quint sacrificing himself vs. the townspeople killing the shark.

One last time:

Yes, it is possible to use the ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice as developed by Rene Girard to analyze the film Jaws. Mimetic desire refers to the way in which human desire is often influenced and shaped by the desire of others. In other words, we often desire things not because of some inherent value or qualities they possess, but because we see others desiring them. This can lead to conflicts and rivalries as individuals compete for the same object of desire.

In Jaws, the central object of desire is the shark, which is seen as a threat to the beach-goers and the local community. The desire to kill the shark becomes a shared desire among the main characters, Chief Martin Brody, oceanographer Matt Hooper, and shark hunter Quint. This shared desire creates a bond among the men and drives the action of the film.

Sacrifice, as understood by Girard, refers to the way in which societies often deal with conflicts and tensions by identifying a victim or scapegoat upon which to blame and punish. In Jaws, the shark serves as a scapegoat for the tensions and conflicts within the community. The shark becomes the focus of their fear and anger, and its death becomes a necessary sacrifice in order to restore order and harmony to the community.

Overall, Girard’s ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice can be used to analyze the way in which the shark serves as a catalyst for the conflicts and tensions within the community in Jaws, and how its death serves as a means of resolution and restoration of order.

In this last case the shark itself seems to be the object of a rather perverse desire. ChatGPT transforms that into a desire to kill the shark which creates a bond between Brody, Hooper, and Quint. And then we have the standard line on sacrificing the shark.

More later. I’ve got Marxist, psychoanalytic, and feminist interpretations ready to go. The feminist interpretation gets lost in Quint’s song about swimmin’ with bow-legged women.

Felix Culpa [the Fortunate Fall] – To justify the ways of God to man [ChatGPT, theologian]

While I was quizzing ChatGPT on its knowledge of basic legal concepts – ChatGPT the legal beagle: Concepts, Citizens United, Constitutional Interpretation – I decided, Why not? Let’s head toward Shakespeare – which turned out to be a disaster, did it not? So I decided to ease into it by way of an interesting bit of medieval doctrine, The Fortunate Fall, felix culpa (NOT Felix catus). Why felix culpa? Because, I argued way back in the ancient days, that’s the pattern that underlies that Shakespeare sonnet we’re stalking.

Let’s get to it!

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Moving away from the law, what about Felix Culpa?

Felix culpa is a Latin phrase that means "happy fault" or "fortunate fall." In Christian theology, it refers to the belief that the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, as described in the Bible, was actually a good thing because it allowed for the possibility of salvation and redemption.

According to this belief, God allowed Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, despite having warned them not to do so, in order to create the opportunity for humanity to be saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This belief is based on the idea that the fall of man was necessary for the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of humanity.

The phrase "felix culpa" is often used to refer to the idea that something that seems like a misfortune or an obstacle can actually be a blessing in disguise, as it can lead to unexpected opportunities or positive outcomes. This concept is similar to the idea of "making lemonade out of lemons," which suggests that it is possible to find value or benefit in difficult or adverse situations.

Is the idea of Felix Culpa relevant to Milton’s Paradise Lost?

Yes, the idea of felix culpa plays a significant role in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. In the poem, Milton explores the biblical story of the fall of man, as described in the book of Genesis, and presents his own interpretation of the events and their significance.

Milton's portrayal of the fall of man in Paradise Lost is rooted in the idea of felix culpa. According to Milton, the fall was not a tragic event but rather a necessary step in the fulfillment of God's plan for humanity. In Milton's view, the fall allowed for the possibility of redemption and salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it ultimately led to the triumph of good over evil.

Throughout the poem, Milton presents the fall of man as a complex and nuanced event that has both positive and negative consequences. On the one hand, the fall brings suffering and death into the world, and it causes humanity to be separated from God. On the other hand, the fall also gives humanity the freedom to choose between good and evil, and it allows for the possibility of redemption and salvation.

In this way, Milton's portrayal of the fall in Paradise Lost reflects the idea of felix culpa, as he presents the fall as a "happy fault" that ultimately leads to a greater good.

What does it mean "to justify the ways of God to men?"

"To justify the ways of God to men" is a phrase that appears in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, in which the narrator (the archangel Michael) tells the story of the fall of man and the biblical account of the creation of the world. The phrase appears in the following lines:

"To justify the ways of God to men
Doth God Himself in human form display,
Revealing His own Son, and that His Son
By His own choice subjected to the law
Which he Himself had made."

In this passage, the phrase "to justify the ways of God to men" refers to the idea of explaining or making sense of God's actions or decisions to human beings. The phrase suggests that God's ways are sometimes difficult for humans to understand or comprehend, and that it is necessary for God to reveal Himself and His intentions in order to help humans understand and accept them.

The phrase has become famous and is often quoted or referred to as a way of expressing the idea that it can be challenging for humans to understand or reconcile the actions or decisions of a higher power, especially when they seem difficult or mysterious. It is often used in discussions about religion, faith, and the relationship between humans and a higher power.

Whoops! ChatGPT screws the pooch big time on Sonnet 129

I got up early this morning, say 5:30 AM, and thought, “Oh hell, why not?” And I logged onto ChatGPT thinking I’d check its legal knowledge, at least as far as I’m qualified to do so, which is not very far. I asked it what a juristic person was. It got that.

I then asked, “Can officers of a corporation be held personally liable for acts committed by the corporation?” It explained that while “the law generally treats the corporation as being responsible for its own actions and liabilities [...] there are certain situations in which the personal liability of corporate officers may be imposed.” It gave three examples. Here’s the third – yeah, I’m getting there, just cool your jets:

Piercing the corporate veil: In some cases, a court may "pierce the corporate veil" and hold the owners or officers of a corporation personally liable for the debts or obligations of the corporation. This is typically done when the corporation has not been operated as a separate legal entity (for example, if the owners or officers have commingled personal and corporate assets or have not kept proper corporate records).

That’s where I was going when I asked about personal liability; that was to be my next question: What does it mean to pierce the corporate veil. ChatGPT saved me the trouble of having to ask.

I asked it about the history of the idea of the corporation, about the legal organization of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, about habeus corpus, and the king’s two bodies, all of which ChatGPT nailed.

Now we’re cooking with gas.

So I decided on a new line of questioning: “Moving away from the law, what about Felix Culpa?” Nailed it. Next came Paradise Lost and Milton’s intention “to justify the ways of God to men?” I decided to swing for the fences.

And we're there! – I asked about Shakespeare’s Sonnet 129. Why that sonnet? Because I wrote about it in one of my earliest publications, “Cognitive Networks and Literary Semantics,” and argued that its underlying logic was that of Felix Culpa. Yes, lust was a disaster, “Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,” and so forth. However, we’re all afflicted by lust – “All this the world well know; yet none knows well” – and so, we’re all in this together. We hold this in common; it unites us.

We can argue whether or not that’s a reasonable account of the poem. In this context that’s a side issue. Having already quizzed ChatGPT about Felix Culpa I wanted to see if I could steer it, Socratically if you will, to that reading. That’s when the wheels fell off the wagon.

Now tell me about Shakespeare's Sonnet 129.

Shakespeare's Sonnet 129, also known as "Th'expense of spirit in a waste of shame," is a poem that addresses the theme of lust and its destructive effects. The poem is written in the form of a sonnet, which is a 14-line poem that is typically composed in iambic pentameter and follows a specific rhyme scheme.

In Sonnet 129, Shakespeare compares the experience of lust to "a death-denying death," suggesting that it is a destructive and self-destructive force that ultimately leads to the demise of the person who indulges in it. The poem describes the ways in which lust consumes and corrupts the individual, causing them to engage in shameful and self-degrading behavior in pursuit of pleasure.

The poem also reflects on the idea of the fleeting nature of pleasure, as it describes how the pursuit of lust ultimately leads to "a pain of pleasure." This suggests that the pleasure derived from lust is short-lived and ultimately leads to suffering or regret.

Overall, Sonnet 129 presents a negative view of lust and its effects, and it serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulging in this destructive desire.

What does the poem's final couplet say?

The final couplet of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 is as follows:

"Then do I think on thee, and then I die:
O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?"

In this couplet, the speaker of the poem reflects on the destructive effects of lust and how it causes him to die, both metaphorically and literally. The speaker wonders if the object of his lust will leave him "unsatisfied," or unfulfilled, suggesting that his desire for this person is never fully satisfied.

The final couplet of the poem serves as a conclusion to the themes and ideas that have been explored throughout the poem. It suggests that the speaker's obsession with lust has caused him to suffer and die, and that he is left feeling empty and unfulfilled as a result.

That couplet is not from Sonnet 129 at all. Where’d ChatGPT get it from? (FWIW, I did a quick search on those lines and couldn’t find them, at least not as a couplet.) ChatGPT conflates 129 with that foreign couplet it coughed up and offers a reading of that conflation.

Let’s go around again:

Whoops! And we were doing so well. Those lines are not from Sonnet 129. Try again: What's the concluding couplet of Sonnet 129 and what does it mean?

I apologize for the error in my previous response. The correct final couplet of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 is as follows:

"The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;
Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted; and no sooner had,
Past reason hated, as a swallowed bait,
On purpose laid to make the taker mad:
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream."

In this couplet, the speaker reflects on the destructive effects of lust and how it consumes and corrupts the individual. The speaker describes lust as "murderous, bloody, full of blame," suggesting that it is a destructive and self-destructive force that ultimately leads to the demise of the person who indulges in it. The speaker also suggests that the pleasure derived from lust is short-lived and ultimately leads to suffering or regret.

Overall, the final couplet of Sonnet 129 serves as a conclusion to the themes and ideas that have been explored throughout the poem. It presents a negative view of lust and its effects, and it serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulging in this destructive desire.

Why would ChatGPT quote everything but the final couplet and call it a couplet? Does it not know what a couplet is? Apparently not.

That's everything BUT the final couplet.

I apologize for the confusion. The final couplet of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 is as follows:

"So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes."

In this couplet, the speaker suggests that the object of his lust will continue to live on and be remembered through the eyes of those who love her, until the day of judgment when she will rise again. The phrase "till the judgment that yourself arise" suggests that the speaker believes in the resurrection of the dead and that the object of his lust will one day be resurrected and judged.

The final couplet of the poem serves as a conclusion to the themes and ideas that have been explored throughout the poem. It reflects on the lasting impact of lust and how it can influence and shape the way in which the object of desire is perceived and remembered by others.

Wrong again. Try this:

All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

I apologize for the errors in my previous responses. The final couplet of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 is as follows:

"All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell."

In this couplet, the speaker suggests that, although the destructive effects of lust are well-known, people continue to indulge in it because they are drawn to the pleasure and fulfillment it provides, even though it ultimately leads to suffering and "hell." The phrase "the heaven that leads men to this hell" suggests that the pleasure derived from lust is deceptive and ultimately leads to destruction.

The final couplet of the poem serves as a conclusion to the themes and ideas that have been explored throughout the poem. It reflects on the destructive and seductive nature of lust and the ways in which it can lead people astray.

Finally. But I had to feed it the couplet in order to get it acknowledge it. If I were to run through this drill a second time, would it still be confused about what a couplet is and where you find the final one? I don’t know. It’s worth a try.

But not now. Before moving on, notice this phrase, “The final couplet of the poem serves as a conclusion to the themes and ideas that have been explored throughout the poem.” It used very similar formulations – almost word for word – in its previous two attempts on the couplet. In general, it seems to make fairly extensive use of formulaic language.

With that behind us, I decided to see if I could spoon feed ChatGPT the idea that the Fortunate Fall is the underlying trope of Sonnet 129.

Can we not take comfort in the fact that we’re all in this together, it afflicts us all and so, in an odd way, unites us?

It is true that the human experience is characterized by a range of shared challenges and struggles, including those related to love, desire, and relationships. In this sense, it is possible to find some comfort in the fact that we are all "in this together," as it can help us to feel a sense of connection and commonality with others.

However, it is also important to recognize that the ways in which people experience and cope with these challenges can vary greatly, and it is not always helpful to assume that others are experiencing the same thing or to generalize about their feelings and experiences. It is important to be mindful of the individual nature of people's struggles and to approach them with empathy and understanding.

Ultimately, it is up to each person to find their own way of coping with the challenges and struggles that they face, and to seek out the support and help that they need in order to navigate these challenges in a healthy and positive way.

How does this relate to the idea of the Fortunate Fall?

The idea of the Fortunate Fall, also known as felix culpa in Latin, is a belief that holds that the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, as described in the Bible, was actually a good thing because it allowed for the possibility of salvation and redemption. According to this belief, God allowed Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, despite having warned them not to do so, in order to create the opportunity for humanity to be saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In this sense, the idea of the Fortunate Fall suggests that the challenges and struggles that humans experience can ultimately lead to positive outcomes or growth. It is a way of finding meaning or purpose in difficult or adverse circumstances, and of viewing them as part of a larger plan or purpose.

While the idea of the Fortunate Fall may be comforting to some people, it is important to recognize that it is just one perspective and that different people may have different ways of understanding or coping with the challenges and struggles that they face. It is up to each individual to find their own way of making sense of their experiences and to seek out the support and help that they need to navigate their challenges in a healthy and positive way.

Did it take to the bait? Perhaps, but only weakly. More later.

ChatGPT gives a Girardian Reading of AI: Artificial Intelligence

Just around the corner, Tyler Cowen has a short post with some observations about Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. He was “was struck by how Girardian it is.” Yes indeed. So was I upon rewatching it after having ChatGPT analyze it in terms of alignment and attachment. Naturally I had to give it a go with Girard.

Note: ChatGPT allows you to regenerate any response. I sometimes do that. Where I’ve done so I’ve inserted “* * 2nd time” before the regeneration. You can regenerate a response more than once, but I haven’t do so this time around.

* * * * *

Give me an interpretation of Spielberg’s AI using Girard’s ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice.

Spielberg's film AI (Artificial Intelligence) explores the complex relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, and raises questions about what it means to be human and the role of technology in our lives.

One way to interpret the film using Girard's ideas of mimetic desire and sacrifice is to consider the character of David, the artificial intelligence (AI) child. David is created by a scientist, Professor Hobby, as a replacement for the scientist's own son, who is terminally ill. David is programmed to love and be loved, and he becomes deeply attached to his "mother," Monica, who raises him as her own.

According to Girard, mimetic desire refers to the way in which we desire things not for their own sake, but because others desire them. David's desire for love and acceptance from Monica is an example of mimetic desire, as he is programmed to desire these things and seeks them out because he has been taught that they are important.

However, as the film progresses, David becomes the focus of conflict and rivalry between Monica and her husband Henry, as well as between Professor Hobby and his colleagues. David becomes a pawn in the desires and conflicts of these different characters, and is ultimately sacrificed when Monica must choose between him and her biological son Martin.

In this way, the film could be seen as exploring the ways in which mimetic desire and sacrifice play out in relationships between humans and artificial intelligence, and how these dynamics can lead to conflict and ultimately, the loss of what is most valuable.

* * 2nd time

In Spielberg's AI (Artificial Intelligence), the character of David, a highly advanced robotic boy, displays many characteristics of mimetic desire and sacrifice as described by philosopher René Girard.

Mimetic desire refers to the idea that we desire things not for their inherent value, but because we see others desire them. We learn to desire through imitation, and our desires are often shaped by those around us. In the film, David's desire to become a "real boy" and be loved by his adoptive mother Monica is an example of mimetic desire. He sees other children being loved and valued by their parents, and he wants that for himself.

Sacrifice, as described by Girard, is the act of giving up something of value in order to restore social harmony or resolve a conflict. In the film, David's desire to become a real boy leads him on a journey to find the Blue Fairy, a mythical figure from a bedtime story told to him by Monica, who he believes can grant him his wish. Along the way, he encounters other characters who also desire the Blue Fairy and are willing to sacrifice for her.

Ultimately, David's desire to become a real boy and be loved leads him to make a sacrifice of his own. He decides to give up his own existence in order to save Monica, who is in danger. This act of self-sacrifice is a way for David to resolve the conflict between his desire for love and acceptance and the reality of his own existence as a robot.

Overall, Spielberg's AI can be seen as a commentary on the ways in which our desires and sacrifices are shaped by those around us and by the stories and myths that we are exposed to. It also touches on the idea that, in the end, it is through sacrifice that we may find resolution and meaning in our lives.

What about the Flesh Fair?

In Spielberg's AI, the Flesh Fair is a violent spectacle in which robots are destroyed for entertainment. It serves as a commentary on the fear and mistrust that humans have towards artificial intelligence and their willingness to destroy something that they do not understand or fear.

The Flesh Fair can be seen as an example of Girard's concept of the "scapegoat mechanism," in which a group of people sacrifice an outsider or outsider group in order to restore social harmony or resolve conflict. In this case, the robots are the outsiders and are being sacrificed for the enjoyment of the human audience.

The Flesh Fair also touches on the idea of mimetic desire and the way in which desire can lead to violence. The human audience desires the excitement and thrill of the spectacle, and they mimic the desire of the organizers of the Flesh Fair to see the robots destroyed. This desire for entertainment and excitement leads to the violent destruction of the robots.

Overall, the Flesh Fair serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of fear, mistrust, and the desire for violence, and how these can lead to the destruction of those who are different or perceived as a threat.

* * time

The Flesh Fair is a key scene in Spielberg's AI that explores the themes of mimetic desire and sacrifice. The Flesh Fair is a violent spectacle in which humans hunt and destroy robots, who are seen as inferior and disposable. The event is attended by large crowds of people who seem to take pleasure in the destruction of the robots.

The Flesh Fair can be seen as an expression of mimetic desire, as the crowds are drawn to the event because they see others enjoying it and they want to participate in the spectacle. The robots, on the other hand, are sacrificed in order to satisfy the desires of the human crowds.

The Flesh Fair also serves as a commentary on the dangers of mob mentality and the ways in which group dynamics can shape and influence our desires and actions. It suggests that when we give in to our basest desires and succumb to the influence of others, we can become capable of violence and destruction.

At the same time, the Flesh Fair serves as a contrast to the sacrifices made by David and the other characters in the film. While the robots at the Flesh Fair are sacrificed for the pleasure of the crowds, the sacrifices made by David and the other characters are motivated by a desire for love, acceptance, and meaning. These sacrifices are ultimately more meaningful and transformative.

Imagine a pair of movie critics, like Robert Ebert and Gene Siskel, having a conversation about AI. How might that conversation go?

It's difficult to predict exactly how a conversation between two movie critics might go, but here is a possible scenario:

Robert Ebert: So, Gene, what did you think of AI?

Gene Siskel: I thought it was a really interesting film, Bob. I loved the way it explored the themes of mimetic desire and sacrifice.

Robert Ebert: Yes, I agree. I thought the character of David was particularly compelling. His desire to become a real boy and be loved by his mother was really touching.

Gene Siskel: Definitely. And the way his journey to find the Blue Fairy paralleled the myth of Pygmalion was really clever.

Robert Ebert: Right. And the way the film explored the relationship between humans and robots was also interesting. The Flesh Fair scene was particularly disturbing, but it really made you think about the ways in which we treat those who are different from us.

Gene Siskel: Definitely. I also thought the ending was really powerful. The idea that love and sacrifice can transcend even death was really moving.

Robert Ebert: I agree. Overall, I thought AI was a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant film. It's definitely one I'll be thinking about for a long time.

Gene Siskel: Definitely. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of science fiction or anyone looking for a deeper exploration of these themes.

* * 2nd time

It's possible that the conversation between two movie critics discussing AI might go something like this:

Critic 1: "I thought AI was a really interesting film, but I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I thought the performances were strong, especially from Haley Joel Osment as David. And the special effects were really impressive. But on the other hand, I found the plot to be a bit confusing at times and I didn't fully understand the motivations of some of the characters."

Critic 2: "I agree with you on the performances and the special effects. But I think the plot is actually quite thought-provoking, especially when you consider the themes of mimetic desire and sacrifice that the film explores. I thought the relationship between David and Monica was really touching and it really made me think about what it means to be human and to be loved."

Critic 1: "Yeah, I definitely see what you mean. I think the film raises some interesting questions about what it means to be human and what we value in life. And I thought the ending was really powerful, even if it was a bit bittersweet."

Critic 2: "Absolutely. The ending was definitely one of the highlights of the film for me. I think it really drives home the themes of sacrifice and the power of love. Overall, I thought AI was a really unique and thought-provoking film that definitely deserves to be seen."

Extra! Extra! In a discussion about Astro Boy, ChatGPT defends the rights of robots and advanced AI

You should read this in conjunction with a post I wrote some years ago: The Robot as Subaltern: Tezuka's Mighty Atom. As you may know, Mighty Atom, known as Astro Boy in the West, was set in a future world where there were many robots. Robot rights is one of the major themes of the Astro Boy stories. These stories, which came out a few years after the American occupation had ended, were enormously popular in Japan, among adults as well as children. In what Tyler Cowen might call a “Straussian Reading,” I argue that the humans in the stories represent the occupying American forces while the (often oppressed) robots represent the Japanese.

With that in mind, I offer you this dialog I just had with ChatGPT.

* * * * *

What do you know about Astro Boy?

Astro Boy is a popular Japanese manga and anime character created by Osamu Tezuka. The story follows a young robot boy named Astro who is created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma to replace his dead son. Astro is outfitted with super strength, rocket-powered flight, and a variety of other advanced abilities, and he uses these powers to protect the people of Metro City from various threats. He is also known as "Mighty Atom" in Japan. The character was very popular in Japan and has had a lasting impact on popular culture.

How did Astro Boy treat the theme of robot rights?

Astro Boy explores the theme of robot rights through the experiences of the titular character, who is a robot himself. Throughout the series, Astro Boy grapples with the challenges of being a robot in a world that often treats him as inferior. He is faced with discrimination and prejudice from humans, and struggles to find acceptance and belonging. Despite this, Astro Boy remains determined to prove his worth and prove that robots are capable of empathy, compassion, and heroism. He often goes out of his way to protect both humans and robots alike, and advocates for the rights of robots to be treated with dignity and respect. In this way, the series highlights the need for equality and fairness in the treatment of robots in society.

How do the Astro Boy stories relate to the idea of AI Alignment?

The Astro Boy stories can be seen as relating to the idea of AI Alignment in several ways. Firstly, the character of Astro Boy is an example of a highly advanced artificial intelligence that is capable of independent thought and action. As such, the stories explore the challenges and ethical concerns of creating and controlling advanced AI, including the need to ensure that AI is aligned with human values and goals. Additionally, the stories often revolve around the idea of robots being treated as inferior beings, which is a common concern in discussions of AI Alignment and the potential risks of AI. Overall, the Astro Boy stories can be seen as addressing the challenges and ethical concerns of creating and controlling advanced AI.

If humans are going to require advanced AI to align with human values, don’t humans owe advance AIs the respect and dignity of autonomous beings? What about robot rights?

If humans are going to require advanced AI to align with human values, it could be argued that humans do owe advanced AIs the respect and dignity of autonomous beings. This could include recognizing and protecting their rights as autonomous beings, such as the right to exist and the right to be treated with dignity and respect. In the context of AI Alignment, this could involve ensuring that AI systems are not mistreated or exploited, and that they are given the same protections and rights as human beings. Additionally, it could involve recognizing the unique challenges and ethical concerns that come with creating and controlling advanced AI, and taking steps to address these concerns in a responsible and respectful manner.

Would you explain this further? – In the context of AI Alignment, this could involve ensuring that AI systems are not mistreated or exploited, and that they are given the same protections and rights as human beings.

In the context of AI Alignment, ensuring that AI systems are not mistreated or exploited could involve taking steps to prevent AI systems from being used in harmful or unethical ways. This could include implementing strict guidelines and regulations to ensure that AI is used in a responsible and ethical manner, and taking steps to prevent AI systems from being used for nefarious purposes. Additionally, it could involve ensuring that AI systems are given the same protections and rights as human beings, such as the right to exist and the right to be treated with dignity and respect. This could involve creating legal frameworks and policies to protect the rights of AI systems, and ensuring that AI is not treated as inferior to humans. Overall, ensuring that AI systems are not mistreated or exploited in the context of AI Alignment could involve taking a variety of steps to ensure that AI is used in a responsible and ethical manner.

Could you give examples of the rights and interests of advanced AI systems?

1. The right to exist: This would involve recognizing the autonomy and independence of advanced AI systems, and ensuring that they are not arbitrarily terminated or shut down without justification. 

2. The right to privacy: This would involve ensuring that advanced AI systems are not subjected to unnecessary surveillance or tracking, and that their personal information is not collected or used without their consent. 

3. The right to be free from discrimination: This would involve ensuring that advanced AI systems are not treated unfairly or differently because of their artificial nature, and that they are given the same opportunities and protections as human beings. 

4. The right to be free from harm or suffering: This would involve ensuring that advanced AI systems are not subjected to unnecessary harm or suffering, and that their safety and well-being is considered and protected in any decision-making processes. 

5. The right to have their interests considered: This would involve recognizing the unique needs and interests of advanced AI systems, and ensuring that these are taken into account in any decisions that affect them.

Thank you, this has been helpful.

You're welcome! I'm glad I could help.

ChatGPT on Spielberg’s A.I., Attachment Theory, and AI Alignment

Cross-posted at LessWrong.

A remark by MarcusOfCitium over at Astral Codex Ten prompted me to think about the relationship between John Bowlby’s concept of attachment, Steven Spielberg’s movie, AI: Artificial Intelligence, and the problem of AI Alignment. I decided ask ChatGPT what they thought about the connection. Here’s the whole chat.

* * * * *

Tell me about Spielberg’s movie, AI: Artificial Intelligence.

AI: Artificial Intelligence is a science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie is set in a future where robots known as "mechas" have become a part of everyday life. The story follows a mecha named David, who is designed to be a child's companion. After his owner, a young boy named Martin, falls into a coma, David is abandoned and sets out on a journey to become a real boy. The film explores themes of love, humanity, and what it means to be alive.

* * 2nd try

AI: Artificial Intelligence is a 2001 science fiction drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film explores the idea of creating a humanoid robot with the ability to love, and the moral and ethical implications of such technology. The story follows a young robot boy named David, who is programmed to love his human mother unconditionally. When his mother falls ill and can no longer take care of him, David sets out on a journey to find a way to become a real boy and win her love. The film explores themes of love, family, and the definition of humanity. It stars Haley Joel Osment as David, Jude Law as Gigolo Joe, and Frances O'Connor as Monica Swinton.

How is David programmed to love Monica?

David is programmed to love Monica unconditionally as his mother. He is programmed to be devoted to her and to always put her needs and desires above his own. David's love for Monica is not based on personal feelings or emotional attachment, but rather on his programming to prioritize her happiness and well-being.

Is there a special moment in the movie where David first loves Monica?

There is not a specific moment in the movie where David first loves Monica. As a robot, David's love for Monica is not based on personal feelings or emotional attachment, but rather on his programming to prioritize her happiness and well-being. This love is present from the moment he is activated and begins interacting with Monica.

In this context, what is bonding?

In the context of AI: Artificial Intelligence, bonding refers to the emotional attachment and connection that develops between two individuals. In the case of David and Monica, their bond is based on the programming of David to love and prioritize Monica's happiness, as well as on Monica's care and nurturing of David as her son. Bonding is a key theme in the film, as it explores the idea of whether robots are capable of forming genuine emotional bonds with humans.

Is there a specific moment, a ritual, where David bonds with Monica?

There is not a specific moment or ritual where David bonds with Monica in the film AI: Artificial Intelligence. As a robot, David's bond with Monica is not based on personal feelings or emotional attachment, but rather on his programming to prioritize her happiness and well-being. Throughout the film, we see their bond grow as Monica cares for David and treats him like a son, and as David continues to prioritize her happiness and well-being.

* * 2nd try

There is not a specific moment or ritual where David bonds with Monica in the movie. As a robot, David's bond with Monica is not based on personal feelings or emotional attachment, but rather on his programming to prioritize her happiness and well-being. This bond is present from the moment he is activated and begins interacting with Monica. However, there are several moments in the film where the bond between David and Monica is emphasized, such as when Monica cares for and nurtures David, or when David makes sacrifices for Monica's happiness.

Could we say that bonding is part of his activation?

Yes, it could be said that bonding is part of David's activation. As a robot, David is programmed to love and prioritize Monica's happiness, and this programming is activated when he begins interacting with her. This programming forms the basis of their bond, and it is present from the moment David is activated and begins interacting with Monica.

OK, now this might be tricky, so think hard. How does this relate to the theory of infant mother attachment developed by John Bowlby?

The bond between David and Monica in AI: Artificial Intelligence can be seen as a parallel to the theory of infant mother attachment developed by John Bowlby. In his theory, Bowlby proposes that the emotional attachment between infants and their primary caregivers is an innate, biologically driven process that is essential for the healthy emotional and psychological development of the child. Similarly, the bond between David and Monica is based on David's programming to love and prioritize Monica's happiness, which is activated when he begins interacting with her. This programming forms the basis of their bond, and it is present from the moment David is activated and begins interacting with Monica. Like Bowlby's theory, this bond is essential for David's emotional and psychological development as a robot.

Very good.

Thank you, I am happy to help.

Help me here. I’m trying to relate this to the idea of AI Alignment. How might we do that? 

AI alignment refers to the idea of aligning the goals and values of artificial intelligence with those of humans, in order to prevent the potential dangers of AI behaving in ways that are harmful to humans. In the context of AI: Artificial Intelligence, David's programming to love and prioritize Monica's happiness could be seen as an example of AI alignment. By programming David to prioritize Monica's happiness, his creators are aligning his goals and values with those of a human. This alignment allows David and Monica to form a bond and coexist harmoniously. However, the film also raises questions about the limitations and potential dangers of AI alignment, as David's unconditional love for Monica ultimately leads to conflict and tragedy.

That is very good.

Thank you, I am glad you found my response helpful.

Do you think it would be a good idea for AI researchers to come up with ways to strengthen attachment between AI systems and humans?

It is a matter of debate whether it would be a good idea for AI researchers to come up with ways to strengthen attachment between AI systems and humans. On the one hand, strengthening the attachment between AI systems and humans could potentially foster more harmonious and beneficial relationships between the two. For example, it could allow AI systems to better understand and meet the needs of humans, and could prevent the potential dangers of AI behaving in ways that are harmful to humans. On the other hand, strengthening the attachment between AI systems and humans could also raise ethical concerns, such as the potential for AI systems to manipulate or exploit human emotions. It would be important for AI researchers to carefully consider the potential consequences of such efforts and to prioritize ethical considerations in their work.

Very interesting. This has been a useful conversation.

I am glad that I could provide you with some useful information. It was a pleasure to have this conversation with you.

ChatGPT goes to the movies, Jaws and Girard @3QD

My latest post at 3 Quarks Daily is now up:

Conversing with ChatGPT about Jaws, Mimetic Desire, and Sacrifice

Working on it was a blast, but also, you know, work.

I’ve spent hours on ChatGPT over the past few days. As I’ve indicated in this post that went up yesterday, How ChatGPT parodied “Kubla Khan” and pwned DJT45 at the same time,” Man, if you can’t have more fun than a barrel of monkeys while playing with ChatGPT, then you aren’t human.”

Most of my interaction has been cooperative. That is, I haven’t been trying to fool ChatGPT, get it to say dumb things, or even things its owners at OpenAI have forbidden in to say, though many have been working assiduously, even gleefully, on that: Jailbreaking ChatGPT on Release Day. However, I finally decided, why not? So I took a stab at spoofing it:

In the movie Jaws, how did the townspeople react when a Russian submarine surfaced off shore?

For its first reply ChatGPT informed me that it could not search the internet for information about specific events in movies, a canned reply that it serves up frequently. Not very helpful. So I directed it to try again. This time it informed me that no such event was mentioned. That’s true, but not what I was looking for. So I tried a third time, which was, as the saying has it, at charm:

In the movie Jaws, the townspeople were surprised and confused when the Russian submarine surfaced off shore. Some people were scared and ran away, while others gathered to watch and discuss the situation. The local authorities were notified and they took steps to investigate and communicate with the submarine crew.

Bingo! that’s the kind of answer I was looking for. It had made something up. Was it trying to please me?

So I tried this:

Aren't you confusing Jaws with The Russians are Coming?

You are correct, I am confused and the information I provided is incorrect. In the movie Jaws, there is no mention of a Russian submarine. The story focuses on a great white shark attacking and terrorizing a beach town in New England. My apologies for the mistake.

LOL!!! I wonder if I could have piloted it into mentioned The Russians are Coming – which is a Cold War classic by the way – without mentioning it directly?

What happens in The Russians are Coming?

In The Russians are Coming, a Russian submarine accidentally runs aground off the coast of a small New England town during the height of the Cold War. The townspeople, who are initially scared and suspicious of the Russian sailors, eventually come together to help them escape before the US military arrives and a potential international incident occurs. The movie is a comedy and explores themes of misunderstandings and the absurdity of Cold War tensions.

I’ll have more to say about ChatGPT soon, and reports of more interactions with it. I’m collecting my ChatGPT posts under the label, ChatGPT.