This is a follow-up post from yesterday’s where I interviewed the artificial intelligence known as ChatGPT about meditation.
This time, I asked ChatGPT to write a Buddhist sutta in the style of the Pali canon, where the Buddha tells Ananda to stop playing Candy Crush on his iPhone. Here’s what ChatGPT came up with:
Once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time, Ananda was addicted to playing Candy Crush on his iPhone. The Buddha approached him and asked, “Ananda, what are you doing?”
Ananda replied, “I am playing Candy Crush, Lord.”
The Buddha said, “Ananda, this is not the path to liberation. Playing such games only leads to craving and attachment. To achieve true peace and wisdom, one must let go of these distractions and engage in virtuous and meaningful actions.”
Hearing the Buddha’s words, Ananda put down his iPhone and vowed to let go of his attachment to Candy Crush. He focused on the Buddha’s teachings and soon realized the path to enlightenment.
And so it is said:
“Just as a bird is freed from its cage when the door is opened, so too is one freed from the bonds of ignorance and craving by practicing the path taught by the Buddha.”
ChatGPT’s predecessor used to be prone to using offensive and harmful language because its information came from the web, which is full of such content. For the latest version of the AI, a program had to be developed to recognize and screen out toxic material. To do this, Kenyan workers were paid as little as $1.32 an hour by a subcontractor of OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, to read and categorize the text. These workers were traumatized by graphic descriptions of bestiality and pedophile sex.
The contract between OpenAI and the subcontractor ended after an article revealed that Facebook had also employed the subcontractor to screen content. In this case, Kenyans had to view images and videos of executions, rape, and child abuse for as little as $1.50 per hour. This is traumatizing work.
While AI and social media can be fun, there’s also a dark and exploitative side. It’s important to recognize the real impact on the workers behind the technology.
I recommend reading a very original and clear essay by Ted Chiang on what ChatGPT is actually doing and its significant limitations.