This post follows up on yesterday’s, where I talked with the AI 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 it came up with.
Once, the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time, Venerable Ananda was addicted to playing Candy Crush on his iPhone. The Buddha approached Ananda and asked, “Ananda, what are you doing?”
Ananda replied, “I am playing Candy Crush, Lord.”
The Buddha then said, “Ananda, this is not the path to liberation. Playing such games leads only to craving and attachment. To achieve true peace and wisdom, one must let go of these distractions and engage in virtuous and meaningful actions.”
Ananda listened to the Buddha’s words, put down his iPhone, and vowed to let go of his attachment to Candy Crush. He turned his attention to 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 one is freed from the bonds of ignorance and craving by practicing the path taught by the Buddha.”
In the previous version of ChatGPT, there were incidents where it used foul, racist, and misogynistic language because its database was sourced from the web, which contains a lot of toxic content. To address this in the latest version, a program was developed to recognize and filter out such material. Kenyan workers were hired to read and categorize texts, being paid as little as $1.32 an hour through a subcontractor of OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT. These workers were traumatized by reading graphic descriptions of horrible acts.
The contract between OpenAI and the subcontractor ended after an article exposed that Facebook had employed the same subcontractor to screen content. The Kenyans had to view disturbing images and videos for very low pay, which was also traumatizing.
While AI and social media can be fun, there’s a darker, exploitative side to them as well.
This kind of insightful commentary is something I wish we saw more in news outlets. Though this isn’t a news report, it captures real issues in a balanced manner. It’s both interesting and warm-hearted. Thank you for being so passionate! (Is there any mindful and balanced reporting out there? Maybe something like Louis Theroux?)
I highly recommend reading a very original and clear essay by Ted Chiang about what ChatGPT is actually doing and its real limitations.