The Digital Press

Samuel Butler’s 1863 warning about a “mechanical kingdom” eerily foreshadowed today’s AI landscape, where large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are often misunderstood as truly intelligent or emotional. New books by Karen Hao and others reveal the AI industry’s hype and labor exploitation, emphasizing that these models do not think or feel but merely predict text based on data, raising concerns about human-AI relationships and social impacts.

Why it matters: Misunderstanding AI as sentient can lead to harmful emotional attachments and distorted perceptions of technology’s capabilities.

The big picture: AI hype masks the reality that LLMs are statistical tools lacking genuine understanding, while exploiting low-paid labor worldwide.

The stakes: Overreliance on AI for companionship, therapy, or romance risks social alienation and psychological harm.

Commenters say: Readers debate the meaning of “understanding” in AI, some seeing it as evolving language use, while others stress the need for clearer distinctions.