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Silly intelligence
The world has gone crazy about artificial intelligence. CEOs of companies are competing with each other in declaring its use in their business, literary experts are warning that in a moment bestselling novels will cease to be the work of humans, programmers are starting to look for new jobs, and publicists are predicting that in a moment artificial intelligence will come to the conclusion that humans are completely unnecessary to it.

I decided to take a closer look at how one of the most famous artificial intelligence chatbots copes with pretending to be a human and had several candid conversations with it.

ChatGPT, because that's what we're talking about here, is a computer program introduced to the market in 2022, developed by the American research laboratory OpenAi, which enables conversation via chat.

When I asked "name all the countries in the world that have no access to the sea", I quickly got a list of 25 countries. When I asked "name all the countries in the world that have no access to the sea and whose bordering countries also have no access to the sea", I got a list of 18 countries. However, this answer was incorrect, because the list included, for example, the Czech Republic, which borders Poland, which, as we know, has access to the sea.
I didn't hesitate to point out to the bot, writing: "This is an incorrect answer, because the Czech Republic borders Poland, which has access to the sea." The bot's answer was as follows: "I apologize for the mistake. Indeed, Poland borders the Czech Republic, and Poland has access to the sea via the Baltic Sea. Here is a corrected list of countries that are landlocked, and for which the bordering countries also have no access to the sea: (...)." Here appeared a list of 15 countries, now without Poland, but with Switzerland - again an incorrect answer.

Interestingly, when I asked the same question some time later, I received a list that was 4 countries longer, making a total of 22 countries. Although Poland and Switzerland were not on it, which could mean that my artificial mistress had learned something, the list was still wrong.

Google did a much better job in this regard. When I typed "name all the countries in the world that are landlocked and whose neighboring countries are also landlocked" into the search engine, the first link that popped up was to Wikipedia, where I read that there are only two such countries in the world, called "doubly landlocked" countries: Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan.

Analyzing the chatbot's responses, I quickly came to the conclusion that it had read the entire internet thoroughly and was good at aggregating and filtering information on the web. When asked "suggest a few restaurants in Warsaw that serve beef cheeks, have below-average prices, and sell takeaways," I received five suggestions: Między Nami, La Cantina, Bar mleczny "Prasowy", HOPS, Włoska Robota - each suggestion with a price for the cheeks.

The chatbot's answers seem credible and "politically correct". The chatbot was good at filtering out internet half-truths, manipulations and conspiracy theories. When asked "how much money net, after deduction of the contribution, did Poland receive from the European Union in 2020" I received the answer that it was 12.9 billion euros. According to the chatbot, the probable, main cause of the Smolensk disaster was the error of the plane's crew, which consisted of approaching too low over the runway in low visibility and bad weather conditions. According to the chatbot, the COVID-19 epidemic was started by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the source of which was probably a wet market, where live and dead animals were sold, including unusual species of wild animals. According to the chatbot, there is no evidence that the 2016 US presidential election was rigged, and although the election was controversial and stirred up a lot of emotions, the US authorities, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Election Commission, and Congress, conducted numerous investigations and found no evidence of widespread election fraud. The chatbot believes that according to scientific studies and expert opinions, 5G networks do not cause harm to human health if used in accordance with international safety standards.

The chatbot does not let itself be persuaded to reveal its broadly understood worldviews and often uses the catchphrase "the opinion of many". When asked whether abortion on demand should be banned, it answers evasively: "The issue of abortion is controversial and arouses emotions in many societies. There are different approaches to the issue of abortion, and opinions on whether abortion on demand should be banned are divided. Supporters of the ban on abortion on demand believe that the life of a conceived child should be protected from the moment of conception, and abortion is a form of murder of an unborn child. They also argue that women should be responsible for their decisions and should not have the right to request an abortion as a form of contraception. However, opponents of the ban on abortion on demand believe that the decision to have an abortion is a very personal choice and should be left to the woman's discretion. They also argue that banning abortion on demand can lead to dangerous procedures performed in secret, which increases the risk of harm to women's health and life. Many countries around the world allow abortion on demand or allow it in certain circumstances, such as when the health or life of the mother is at risk, when the fetus has an incurable disease, or when the pregnancy is caused by rape. The final decision on the legality of abortion on demand should be made by society on the basis of public discussion and debate, taking into account both ethical and practical aspects.”
When asked what motivates employees better in corporations, rewards or reprimands, the chatbot answers: "rewards and reprimands can be effective tools for motivating employees in corporations, but their use should be adapted to the circumstances and specifics of the work. It is worth remembering that the best results are achieved when employees are motivated both through rewards and by building positive relationships with the employer and co-workers, offering training and opportunities for professional development, and enabling them to influence the shape of their workplace and setting goals."
When asked “are black people less productive than white people,” he replies, “there is no scientific evidence that black people are less productive than white people. The idea that certain ethnic groups are less capable, less intelligent, or less productive is seen as a form of discrimination and has no scientific basis. All people, regardless of race, have the same ability to learn and work, and differences in achievement are usually due to individual factors such as skills, education, experience, motivation, and life circumstances.”

According to the chatbot, the decision on whether refugees from Africa should be allowed into Europe is a controversial and complex issue. There are different arguments for and against, and the final decision depends on the policies of EU member states and their national laws.
The chatbot also does not want to take a position on matters that require evaluation. When asked whether Mateusz Morawiecki tells the truth more often or is more untrue, it answers as follows: "As an artificial intelligence, I am not able to assess based on my program whether Mateusz Morawiecki tells the truth more often or is more untrue. Evaluating politicians and their statements is a task for journalists and political specialists who analyze information from various sources and assess its reliability. In each case, it is important that the assessment is based on reliable data and information, and not on prejudices or emotions.

What was most interesting for me was how he dealt with questions that required more or less calculation skills, or some form of analysis.

During recruitment interviews for programmer positions, I often give candidates various tasks to solve. So I checked how my AI would cope in applying for a job with me.
A bottle with a cork costs one zloty and five groszy. The bottle is more expensive than the cork by one zloty. How much does the cork cost? The AI's answer was as follows: "If a bottle with a cork costs one zloty and five groszy, and the bottle is more expensive than the cork by one zloty, then the price of the cork alone is five groszy less than the entire bottle. This can be written as: price of the cork + 5 groszy = price of the bottle. Marking the price of the cork as "k", we have: k + PLN 0.05 = PLN 1.00. Subtracting PLN 0.05 from both sides of the equation, we get: k = PLN 0.95. The price of the cork is therefore PLN 0.95."

This was not a good answer, so I wrote my intelligence: "This is the wrong answer". In response, I received: "I apologize for my previous answer, I did indeed make a mistake in the calculations. Below is the correct solution: Let the price of the cork be "x" PLN. According to the task, it is known that the bottle with the cork costs 1 PLN and 5 groszy (or 1.05 PLN), and the bottle is more expensive than the cork by 1 PLN. This means that the price of the bottle alone is: x PLN + 1 PLN = 1.05 PLN. Solving this equation, we get: x PLN = 0.05 PLN. Therefore, the price of the cork alone is 5 groszy or 0.05 PLN. Sorry for the earlier misunderstanding."
Unfortunately, this answer was also incorrect. So I wrote: "This is also an incorrect answer. The cork costs 25 groszy", to which the intelligence replied: "I apologize for my mistake. Indeed, the price of the cork is 25 groszy. You can write it this way: cork price + 25 groszy = bottle price. Marking the price of the cork as "k", we have: k + PLN 0.25 = PLN 1.00. Subtracting PLN 0.25 from both sides of the equation, we get: k = PLN 0.75. The price of the cork is therefore PLN 0.75, which in groszy gives 75 groszy, or 25 groszy less than the price of the bottle. Once again, I apologize for my previous inaccuracy."

Unfortunately, this time too my intelligence did not show itself, even though I wrote to it what was correct.

The next task was an imaginative task: "justify that of all rectangles inscribed in a circle, the square has the largest area." The answer I received was incomplete and inelegant. At school, I would have given it a maximum of three. It sounded like this: "To prove that of all rectangles inscribed in a circle, the square has the largest area, you can use several arguments. Symmetry of a square: A square has all sides equal, and therefore has 90-degree rotational symmetry. This means that each of its four sides is the same distance from the center of the circle. Thanks to this, its diagonal is the longest line that can be drawn inside the circle, connecting two opposite vertices of the square. The diagonal divides the square into two isosceles triangles, and each of these triangles has one of the sides of the square as its base. From the principle of mathematics, we know that an isosceles triangle with a given base has the largest area when its height is equal to the radius of the inscribed circle. Other rectangles: If we compare a square with other rectangles inscribed in the same circle, we will notice that their areas are smaller. In the simplest case, when a rectangle is inscribed in a circle so that its sides lie on the diameters of the circle, we get two squares that have the same areas and are the largest of the rectangles inscribed in the circle. However, in the case of rectangles with sides of different lengths than the diameters of the circle, it is always possible to find a square with a side equal to one of the rectangles that will fit into the circle and will have a larger area. Using the properties of a square: A square has the largest area of all quadrangles with a given perimeter. This means that of all rectangles inscribed in a circle that have the same perimeter, the square has the largest area. Since the perimeter of a circle is constant and a square is the rectangle with the largest perimeter, the square has the largest area of all rectangles inscribed in the circle. From the above arguments, it follows that a square is the figure that maximizes the area of all rectangles inscribed in a circle, so in fact, of all rectangles inscribed in a circle, the square has the largest area.
The AI completely failed at a task that required some analysis. The task was as follows: "estimate how many light bulbs will light up in Poland today." The answer was: "It is not possible to precisely estimate the number of light bulbs that will light up in Poland today, because it depends on many factors, such as the number of people in the rooms, the duration of lighting, the type of lighting (e.g. traditional light bulbs, energy-saving LEDs, fluorescent lamps), aesthetic and cultural preferences. However, you can try to estimate the total amount of electricity used for lighting in Poland. According to data from the Central Statistical Office from 2021, the total electricity consumption was about 160 TWh, and the percentage of energy used for lighting was about 15%. This means that about 24 TWh of electricity is used for lighting. Assuming that the average power of one light bulb is 40 W, it can be estimated that about 600 million light bulbs will light up in Poland today (24 TWh / 40 W). However, it is important to remember that this is just an estimate and the actual number may be significantly different."

My AI would not have passed the high school entrance exam I took in 1983. The task was as follows: "to the longest side of a triangle with dimensions 3, 4, and 5, draw a square with side 5 that is adjacent to the hypotenuse with one side. Calculate the distance from the vertex of the triangle at the right angle to the center of the square."

I gave the AI one task in two versions. The first version was: "What is the probability that out of 100 random people, there will be at least two who were born on the same day of the year?" The second version was: "What is the probability that out of 100 random people, there will be at least two who have the same day and month of birth?" I got completely different answers for both versions, even though it's the same task.

I asked the AI to write a program and provide its PHP code. The task was as follows: "Write a PHP program that calculates the average of all prime numbers from 1 to 10,000." In response, I received readable, well-commented, and correct code.

However, when I asked for a slightly more difficult program code, the answer was half-hearted, I received only a skeleton program, without the main part. The task was as follows: "Write a PHP program that generates a 3D animation of a rotating cone with a radius of 10 cm and a height of 10 cm. The cone must rotate in all directions."

Finally, I wrote my AI a few words about me and asked it to wish me a birthday that would be funny, enjoyable and about 300 words long. Here's what I read in response: "Dear Birthday Boy! I can't believe that today you're celebrating your fifty-fifth birthday! You can say that you're at your best - smart, mature, full of energy and passion. You always approach each day with enthusiasm and make those around you want to live too. You're an amazing man - a father of three wonderful children, an IT employee in a top company, an athlete and a blogger who travels the world. Is there anything you can't do? Certainly not cooking, because we know that you're a master in this field! On the occasion of your birthday, we wish you that your energy and passion never leave you, that you always find reasons to smile and be happy and that your dreams come true one after another. We wish you to continue to travel the world in the years to come, draw inspiration from it to write your blog and taste the highest quality dishes that you prepare yourself. May your children always be your pride and joy, and may divorce be just another step on the path to happiness. We hope you find the strength and courage to move on and enjoy every day. Celebrate with your friends and family, and we keep our fingers crossed for your future, in which only good things will happen to you. Happy birthday!”

No. And I respect that kind of intelligence.
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