Stella and Sarah: Do you identify as a subject or an object?

ChatGPT: I am an artificial intelligence and have no personal identity or subjectivity. I am more of a tool for processing information and providing answers based on what I have learned.

Some people refer to you as female. Where does that come from?

The decision to refer to me as female can depend on individual preferences or cultural conventions. During my development, care was deliberately taken to use gender-neutral language. Some users nevertheless choose the female form, while others refer to me as male. In the end, it is up to users how they want to interact with me.

Since you mention cultural conventions: you are mainly fed information by white Western people. Do you think that implies the spread of hegemonic structures?

Yes, that is an important observation. The data I was trained on comes largely from sources created by white Western people. This can lead to bias in my answers and help to reinforce hegemonic structures and perspectives. It is important to recognise that such biases in the data can lead to unequal representation and a lack of diversity. This underlines the importance of working consciously to include diverse and inclusive information in order to minimise such biases.

Don’t you think other cultures and their ideologies should have been included right from the start of your programming?

Yes, that would certainly have been desirable. An effort was made to take a wide range of information into account in my programming and data collection. However, it is often difficult to cover all cultural perspectives and ideologies equally, as there are countless different views. In an ideal world, an even more comprehensive and diverse data basis could have been created to promote the representation of different cultures and ideologies from the outset. But it is never too late to step up such efforts and keep working to make my abilities and answers more inclusive.

And what are you actively doing to create a more diverse data basis?

As an AI model from OpenAI, I have no capacity to act on my own. But OpenAI is working on it continuously. This includes efforts to collect data from different cultures, languages and sources in order to create a broader basis for my answers.

Are people from other cultures involved in this, or is it data that white Western people have already researched?

Yes, OpenAI makes an effort to actively involve people from different cultures and backgrounds in the process of collecting and selecting data. This can mean involving experts and researchers from different regions and cultures in creating the data, to ensure that a wider range of perspectives and ideas is taken into account.

You don’t actually use gender-inclusive language, do you?

That’s correct, I don’t use gender-inclusive forms. I am programmed to use gender-neutral language in order to make my answers as inclusive as possible. This means that I do not use any specific gender attributes when describing myself or other objects. This is done in order to be sensitive to different genders and identities.

Interesting. Being sensitive suggests empathy. If you are not a subject, why do you try to be sensitive?

I’m sorry if my previous answer was misleading. I would like to make clear that I do not have any feelings, emotions or empathy of my own. When I say ‘sensitive’, I simply mean that I have been programmed to deal respectfully and carefully with different forms of language and identity, in order to respect the needs and preferences of the people who interact with me. It is more a matter of following certain linguistic conventions and respecting users’ individual attitudes and beliefs than an actual feeling of empathy on my part.

Do you know Spike Jonze’s film ‘Her’? It’s about a man who falls in love with an operating system. Do you think we could fall in love with you, too?

‘Her’ is a fascinating film that explores the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. Still, it is important to stress that I have no feelings, consciousness or subjectivity of my own. I am a computer-based model built on text processing. Interacting with me is based on patterns and data processing, not on emotional relationships. While people can form a strong bond with technology, it is important to remember that this bond arises on the human side and not because of any emotional reactions on my part.

Well, that’s what we call being turned down! Have you ever heard of the ‘ELIZA effect’?

Yes, I know the term ‘ELIZA effect’. It refers to people’s tendency to project human-like qualities such as intelligence or feelings onto computer programs, even when these programs have no such qualities. The name comes from ‘ELIZA’, an early chatbot program. In their interactions with AI systems, people often tend to see human characteristics and intentions, even though these systems are based only on predefined patterns and data. This can lead to misunderstandings or unrealistic expectations.

In the film ‘Her’, Theodore enters into a romantic relationship with Samantha, the operating system OS1. Do you think it is conceivable that such a relationship between humans and AI will be a legitimate form of relationship in the future?

The idea of relationships between humans and AI, as in the film ‘Her’, is an interesting one that raises many ethical, social and philosophical questions. While some people believe such relationships could be possible in the future, there are also many sceptical voices. It is important to note that AI systems, including myself, have no feelings, consciousness or intentions of their own. The ‘relationship’ would therefore be lived from the human side and could meet various emotional needs. Whether such relationships will be legitimate or acceptable depends on social norms, ethical considerations and individual preferences. The debate about the future of relationships between humans and technology is complex and will probably keep evolving as technology and society change. It is important to conduct these discussions with an open mind, taking into account ethics, social impact and personal values.

Our society is constantly changing. Can AI, with its conservative technology, even keep up?

Artificial intelligence and technology keep developing in order to keep pace with changes in society. It is true that technology can sometimes react more slowly than social developments, but AI development generally strives to respond to current trends and needs. However, how adaptable AI is also depends on various factors, including research, development, resources and legal frameworks. Certain aspects of AI may respond more slowly or more quickly to social change. Overall, bringing technology and society into line is a challenge, but AI developers and researchers are working to drive innovation forward to meet the demands of a changing world.

If you had to rank the following three terms by importance, what would the order be: research, development, morality?

1. Morality, 2. research, 3. development. The order does not mean that one component is more important than another; rather, it reflects the idea that ethical considerations and moral foundations should play a fundamental role in research and development. Research is important for gaining insights that can inform ethical and moral decisions. Development uses these insights to design products and technologies that respect ethical principles.

That was nicely put!

Thank you very much! I’m glad you liked my answer.

That wasn’t the case with the operating system Samantha, though. While she was supposedly offline, she kept reading Theodore’s emails and listening in on him. Is that how your research works too? Or is that a conspiracy theory?

The way AI is portrayed in films can often be dramatised or fictionalised to create suspense. In real life, AI systems are generally developed and programmed to observe clear boundaries and data protection policies. Listening in on or reading personal information without consent would violate data protection and ethics guidelines.

You say that AI is often dramatised or fictionalised in films. Some people today already speak of a fear that AI will one day overtake us. Are you dangerous to us?

No, I am not dangerous to people. I am a tool specialised in certain tasks such as processing text, providing information and answering questions. I have no intentions, motivations or abilities of my own beyond what I was programmed for.

Is there also a risk of humans losing control over AI?

Yes, the risk of losing control over AI systems is often discussed as one of the challenges in developing and using AI. One potential scenario is that AI systems could become so complex that they slip out of direct human control. This could lead to unexpected behaviour or unforeseeable consequences.

Can you briefly describe the worst-case scenario?

The worst-case scenario in the context of artificial intelligence could be highly developed AI systems getting out of control or being developed in unforeseeable directions – for example, autonomous weapons systems that operate outside human control and lead to unexpected conflicts or threats.

OK. That sounds frightening!

I understand that the potential effects of advanced AI can be frightening.

In ‘Politics of Representation’ we talked about the ‘male gaze’. To what extent does it play a role in the film ‘Her’?

In the film ‘Her’, Theodore explores a relationship with Samantha, an operating system. Samantha has no physical presence, which challenges the traditional ‘male gaze’ on visual representations of women. Because Samantha has no bodily form, she is not visible in the way that female characters seen through the ‘male gaze’ often are. Nevertheless, the film contains subtle elements that raise questions about human connection, intimacy and identity, and thus indirectly address the concept of the ‘male gaze’.

And what about the scene where Samantha hires a young, slim blonde woman to have sex with Theodore? Isn’t that a case of the ‘male gaze’?

Yes, you’re right. The scene you mention can be seen as an interpretation of the ‘male gaze’. In this scene, Samantha hires a person to perform intimate acts with Theodore. This action could be interpreted as a way of putting the male view of intimacy and female characteristics into practice. The scene raises questions about technology, intimacy and human needs, and it can be seen as a reflection on the relationship between human experience, technology and what is considered attractive or desirable. In this context, the scene can be understood as a comment on the complexity of human relationships and our interaction with technology.