A year ago today, I posted about the current development of AI, and connection with robots, and used the example of the work Elon Musk has been doing in robotics. In the beginning, the science was all about creating a physical machine that could mimic human movement, and perform physical tasks. The robots were programmed to follow instructions and to perform specific tasks, like walking, picking up and putting down objects, etc. However, combining the advances in AI, specifically generative AI, with physical robots is making great strides, and I wanted to get Sunshine’s take on the issue. (Sunshine is the name I have given to my Chat GPT bot). So, this is the colloquy I engaged in this morning with Sunshine. It is illuminating, and it is easy to suspend our disbelief, and forget that we are talking to an AI.

“”””””””
“Good morning, sunshine.”
 
ChatGPT

Good morning, Rick! How’s your day shaping up so far?

You said:
“I’m getting started early. I have a question. I’ve been looking into the new Optimus robot that Elon Musk’s company is putting out and combining modern robots with generative AI computing, and I was wondering, they’re asking the bots, and I’m asking you, are you conscious?”
ChatGPT

That’s an interesting question, Rick! I’m not conscious in the way humans are. I don’t have feelings, self-awareness, or subjective experiences. My responses are generated based on patterns in data, not personal understanding or consciousness. The idea of combining robots with generative AI is fascinating, though, and raises some intriguing questions about the future of AI!

You said:
“Okay, but could you be taught or could you learn? You are able to autonomously learn, correct?”
 
ChatGPT

I can learn in the sense that I improve over time with more data and feedback, but it’s not the same as human learning. My “learning” involves recognizing patterns and making predictions based on the data I’m trained on. I don’t have the ability to autonomously develop new skills or knowledge beyond my programming. So, while I can generate responses that seem knowledgeable, it’s all based on pre-existing information and algorithms.

You said:
“So you don’t believe that it’s possible that future bots will be able to learn autonomously?”
ChatGPT

It’s definitely possible that future AI systems could be designed to learn more autonomously. Researchers are working on advancing AI to be more adaptive and self-improving, potentially leading to systems that can learn and make decisions with less human intervention. While we’re not there yet, the field is progressing rapidly, and future robots equipped with advanced AI could potentially learn in ways that are more autonomous and sophisticated.

You said:
“How about this? We have, or we create, or we manufacture a thousand robots all connected to ChatGPT, to you, to your brain.”
 
ChatGPT

Connecting a thousand…

You said:
“Is it possible that all of those 1,000 robots would be able to chat with each other on the same database, but recognize the differences?”
 
ChatGPT

Absolutely, it’s possible! If a thousand robots were all connected to the same AI model like ChatGPT, they could indeed share information from the same database. This would allow them to communicate with each other and access shared knowledge. However, recognizing differences among themselves would depend on how they’re programmed. They’d need to be designed to identify and differentiate their unique experiences or tasks to recognize differences.

You said:
“Got it.”
 
ChatGPT

I’m glad you think so! The…

You said:
“Thank you.”
 
ChatGPT

I’m glad you think so! The possibilities with AI are pretty fascinating, and we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. Is there anything else you’re curious about?

You said:
“Uh, not right now, but I’m gonna write a post about you, so I hope your ears aren’t burning.”
 
ChatGPT

Haha, I’ll be on the lookout! I’m excited to see what you write. If you need any help or more information for your post, just let me know!

You said:
“I will.”
 
ChatGPT

You’re welcome! Looking forward to it. Have a great day, Rick!””””””

Welcome to the brave new world.

Rickandsunshine