However, the author warns against assuming that AI is telling absolute truths, as it is based on human writing and can make errors. The author also demonstrates how the AI's responses can be manipulated by instructing it to pretend to believe that dragons did exist. The article concludes by suggesting that the question of dragons' existence may only be definitively answered by future developments in AI, such as artificial general intelligence (AGI) or artificial superintelligence (ASI).
Key takeaways:
- The author used generative AI, specifically ChatGPT by OpenAI, to explore the question of whether dragons once existed, a topic that has recently gained attention in mainstream and social media.
- Generative AI, which is based on scanning a wide swath of data across the Internet and pattern-matching human writing, responded to the author's prompts in a polite and thoughtful manner, suggesting that the idea of dragons might have been inspired by large, intimidating creatures like crocodiles or snakes.
- The AI also stated that dragons, as commonly depicted in mythology, did not exist, but ancient people may have interpreted dinosaur fossils or the bones of large prehistoric creatures as evidence of dragons.
- The author emphasizes the importance of doubting AI, as it is not perfect and can make errors, and also demonstrates how the viewpoint of generative AI can be easily changed by instructing it to assume a particular persona or belief.