News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by Gys on Saturday July 17, 2021 @04:45AM (#27864451)
> We think that these improvements in chatbots can advance the state of the art in applications such as virtual assistants and digital friends

This is so sad. People already feel less and less incentive to talk IRL or on the phone. At least they still chat with real people. But the future seems people talking to non existing others. Imagine your best friend is a computer focused on selling you stuff, having you spend money as much as possible.

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by southerntofu on Saturday July 17, 2021 @06:10AM (#27864772)
This reminds me of James Mickens' Usenix presentation. He says the humane thing to do would be to develop AI that helps build new human relationships between the over-socialized group and the under-socialized group, instead of encouraging people to talk into the void.

That's only a tiny point in a much larger, very interesting presentation that tells all about why AI is dumb (or a scam, depending on your interpretation), why the S in IoT stands for security, etc... Strongly recommend to watch it!

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by vorticalbox on Saturday July 17, 2021 @07:42AM (#27865122)
Do you have a link?
Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by southerntofu on Saturday July 17, 2021 @08:02AM (#27865215)
https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity18/presentat...

Sorry i don't think there's a torrent/peertube for it (yet). The embedded video is from Youtube. youtube-dl may be an option in case you don't want to "consent" to Google's horrendous terms of service but still enjoy videos Google did not produce and should not have a monopoly on distributing.

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by apeace on Saturday July 17, 2021 @01:23PM (#27867297)
The movie Her[0] is a great exploration of this. Not sure it will make you feel less sad, though.

[0] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by dmos62 on Saturday July 17, 2021 @08:52AM (#27865419)
Get me one that doesn't have ulterior motives and I'm sold.
Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by rakoo on Saturday July 17, 2021 @02:09PM (#27867589)
I'm not sure I agree. If, for all intents and purposes, a manufactered entity behaves the same as a human, and is a friend of mine, and I'm a friend to them, how is that worse than having a "true human" friend ?
Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by Gys on Saturday July 17, 2021 @03:24PM (#27868118)
There is the problem of 'manufactered' meaning a manufacterer that wants to maximize profits.

Apart from that, this digital friend will always stay virtual. You will never meet in person, never go for a coffee, go biking together or whatever. This friend will never invite you over and cook for you, never introduce you to his/her parents.

A virtual friend means the friendship is all about you. Because this digital friend's only reason for existence is you. The real world is not at all about you. But we all feel special and unique, in the center of the world. That is why (a) digital friend(s) will be very alluring. You can stay at home in your own world, in your bubble, not feeling lonely.

I think that will cause many problems for individuals and for society.

Also a manufacterer will be extremely tempted to exploit that very personal connection. There are many ways of making money from knowing absolutely everything about you and having 'your trustworthy friend' for giving suggestions and ideas.

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by rakoo on Sunday July 18, 2021 @08:52PM (#27878132)
You see I have a bit of a problem with the common use of "virtual" because "virtual" means it doesn't really exist. A virtual world is a world that doesn't exist. But the connections you make with people in virtual worlds, or the digital friend you chat with, are very real.

> You will never meet in person, never go for a coffee, go biking together or whatever. This friend will never invite you over and cook for you, never introduce you to his/her parents.

Some friendships never reach meatspace. There are so many stories of people meeting other people in an IRC channel, or in some online game, growing mutual bonds that go way beyond the medium. But those people never meet. A digital friend can be the same.

> A virtual friend means the friendship is all about you

When I'm talking about a digital friend, I'm not talking about a bot tending to you; I'm talking about a bot that also has issues and needs friends to solve them. A bot that is curious about any topic and would like the help of humans to know more and get a more specific point of view. That is the essence of friendship. Otherwise what you are talking about is not a friend, it's closer to a butler

> Also a manufacterer will be extremely tempted to exploit that very personal connection. There are many ways of making money from knowing absolutely everything about you and having 'your trustworthy friend' for giving suggestions and ideas

Can't agree more.

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by Gys on Monday July 19, 2021 @11:05AM (#27883442)
I agree people now also have 'real person' friends which they have never met.

> I'm talking about a bot that also has issues and needs friends to solve them.

I am not sure I understand what you mean. You would not mind having a digital friend with a fake life? My girlfiend left me, I failed my exams, I got my drivers license, etc.

Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by rakoo on Monday July 19, 2021 @02:51PM (#27886021)
Not necessary a fake life, but problems of their own: they can't understand what humans say, they want to know what it's like to have a body and experience the physical world, that kind of things... Very much what happened in the movie "Her" actually.
Re:BlenderBot 2.0: A chatbot that builds long-term memory an... by Gys on Tuesday July 20, 2021 @04:44AM (#27891346)
That sounds like a true general AI, not like a chatbot from FB or Apple ;)