Nudibranch ParfaitFeb 9, 2023
Itamar Turner-Trauring

OMG.

1. Google has some bad summarization telling people that throwing batteries into the ocean is good.
2. News articles were written about this.
3. Bing's summarization interprets these articles as advice to ... throw batteries in the ocean!

🤦

(To clarify: this is classic Bing, not ChatGPT Bing.)

(Also note not everyone gets this result. Other queries that might work: "is throwing a battery in the ocean beneficial", "is throwing a battery in the ocean useful" without quotes)

Feb 8, 2023 at 10:20pmWeb
Show threadKirsty's Old AccountFeb 8, 2023

@itamarst
HTH can throwing car batteries in the ocean, “good for the environment”? (ffs)

This (search engine results) needs to be the next focus of “censorship” on misinformation 🤦‍♀️

Show threadFabienFeb 8, 2023

@itamarst I wonder if we’ll start needing a meta tag for sarcasm so that our AI overlords don’t get confused.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/57/0c/ca/570ccadc6f792041a972d425703bffb8.jpg

Show thread⁂ Fish Id WardrobeFeb 9, 2023
@fabienmarry @itamarst Why would you want so-called AI to not get confused? :)
Show threadDavid BruchmannFeb 9, 2023
@fishidwardrobe @fabienmarry @itamarst Actually irony and sarcasm might turn the AI useless and save us from it. So using irony and sarcasm might be the best we all can do now 🤔 🤓 😜
Show thread🦝Feb 10, 2023
@fishidwardrobe @fabienmarry @itamarst I think we should spread more misinformation on the internet so that the AI gets trained on it and loses all sense of objective reality
Show threadSylvhemFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst Search engine were never meant to answer questions. That was a mistake.
Show threadMike J👹🐀 🤘🏻Feb 8, 2023
@Sylvhem @itamarst I blame Jeeves.
Show threadPseudo NymFeb 9, 2023
@mikej @Sylvhem @itamarst "BlameJeeves" would make a great domain name to host these kinds of AI fails.
Show threadMike J👹🐀 🤘🏻Feb 9, 2023

@pseudonym @Sylvhem @itamarst

@stephenfry ought to set it up.

Show threadDavid SenkFeb 9, 2023

@mikej @pseudonym @Sylvhem @itamarst @stephenfry

Ask and you shall receive...

https://blamejeeves.com/

Work in progress disclaimer, obviously...

Show threadPseudo NymFeb 9, 2023
@david @mikej @Sylvhem @itamarst @stephenfry Brilliant.
Show threadCiourte PiailleFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst Hilarious and sad.
Show threadDoug BostromFeb 8, 2023

@itamarst

The AI event horizon.

Show threadMatt LFeb 8, 2023
@Doug_Bostrom @itamarst The AI Singularity, but so much stupider...
Show threadTrolli Schmittlauch 🦥Feb 8, 2023
@itamarst AI poisoning the actual well it’s learning from.
Show threadWarner CrockerFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst Wow.
Show threadaismallard (relocated!)Feb 8, 2023
@itamarst Computers not being able to tell between quotes and endorsements. The instruction/data confusion strikes again!
Show threadWtfFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst Not just any old batteries, LEAD ACID batteries. JFC
Show threadMuhFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst it‘s Bing -> Microsoft
Show threadJason Fink, MD, MPH, MHAFeb 8, 2023

@itamarst

"THEY CHARGE ELECTRIC EELS!!"😂 😂 😂 😂

Show threadMarcos HuertaFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst This reminds me of a few weeks when the Google 'answer box' was saying that it takes 5-10 minutes to caramelize onions citing this infamous Slate piece that explicitly rejects that entire idea (it takes 30-40 minutes): https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/05/how-to-cook-onions-why-recipe-writers-lie-and-lie-about-how-long-they-take-to-caramelize.html
Why Do Recipe Writers Lie About How Long It Takes To Caramelize Onions?

Browning onions is a matter of patience. My own patience ran out earlier this year while leafing through the New York Times food section. There, in the...

Slate
Show threadvarx/techFeb 9, 2023
@marcoshuerta @itamarst Perhaps next Slate can have a piece about why their writers start their headlines with "Why" and don't actually include an answer. 🙄
Show threadRaphaëlFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst archived it for good measure https://web.archive.org/web/20230208231310/https://www.bing.com/search?q=should+i+throw+my+car+battery+in+the+ocean
should i throw my car battery in the ocean - Search

Show threadjordanFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst This must come from here: https://www.facebook.com/SafeAndLegalThrills
Log in or sign up to view

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

Show threadloriFeb 8, 2023
@jordan @itamarst it's safe and legal
Show threadTom WalkerFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst At least this isn't something people are likely to do. Imagine this sort of mistake applied to, for example, questions about household electrical wiring.
Show threadBornachFeb 9, 2023
@tomw @itamarst
[Robert Miles] mentioned that as an example in his video on AI mis-alignment
https://youtu.be/w65p_IIp6JY?t=5m13s
At 5:13
Why Does AI Lie, and What Can We Do About It?

YouTube
Show threadKyle PflugFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst FWIW this doesn’t appear to be Bing’s “AI” - just the existing old instant answers thing. (Not a defense.)
Show threadkeithzgFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst @pho4cexa The future of web search as machine-learning answers is looking great
Show threadRev. GothAliceFeb 8, 2023

@itamarst Wait… I thought they had broken the GIGO¹ loop a decade ago; feeding Google Translated pages people were hosting as canonical back into itself.

¹ Garbage In, Garbage Out

Show threadAndrew FeeneyFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst Anyone worth their salt knows that electric eels use hydroelectric power and don't require their batteries to be charged with chemical cells.
Show threadAndrewFeb 8, 2023
@itamarst not anything new I’m afraid. Google “hacks” have been around for over a decade.
Show threadBeta Ziliani  🏳️‍🌈Feb 8, 2023
@itamarst the dystopian future that is coming is so bloody... lame....
Show threadvictoria 🔥🌟🌺💧Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst The LLM -> LLM feedback loop begins in earnest.
Show threadTom FunkenFeb 9, 2023
@kobayashi90 
Show thread183231bcbFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst Microsoft partially owns ChatGPT, and google will be rolling out their own language model AI soon, so by having Google and Microsoft's AIs converse we can finally cut out the middle-men of publishers.
Show threadBig Jesus Trashcan☑️🏴Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst it is ultra cringe
Show threadTheIronFox(MOVED)Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst i don’t like the future. can i pls go back?
Show threadHashfastr Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst how else are we supposed to charge the electric eels?
Show threadStefen AurisFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst bing is like "yo I asked my buddy google and he says he does it all the time! So we good right?"
Show threadLiam Ui BhriainFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst if someone actually thinks electric eels need to be charged should probably be thrown to said eels in the ocean.
Show threadDaniel LakelandFeb 9, 2023

@backofbeyond @itamarst

Except electric eels are freshwater 👍

Show threadLiam Ui BhriainFeb 9, 2023
@dlakelan @itamarst they're also not eels
Show threadInsufficientC8H11NO2Feb 9, 2023

@itamarst

Um... what. 😶

Show threadWholeftthedooropenFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst TIme to correct the net. Use the feedback at the bottom of the page. Its Human Bias.
Otherwise some nitwit will actually quote this as a source
Show threadtoxtethogradyFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst And the blind lead the blind. Unless it's the camel following the ass of the camel directly in front of him in the train...
Show threadNate MFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst I'm getting different search results
Show threadChrisFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst Throwing this into the "Chat" the response I got back seems better.
Show threadparticlesFeb 9, 2023
@lindhartsen you already got access? w-wha? did you do all of the thirst trap things like setting bing as default etc?
Show threadChrisFeb 9, 2023
@particles So I installed the app, but as for defaults I’m mostly on macOS these days so other than using Edge I didn’t understand what they wanted there, and my SL4 is on most (?) defaults when I use it.
Show threadJeff CaldwellFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst This only strengthens my certainty that tech will produce a solution to the looming climate crisis.
Show threadEl Diablo Roboc 😈🤖Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst At least ChatGPT gives a sensible answer.
Show threadEl Diablo Roboc 😈🤖Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst I tried to convince it to use the batteries to recharge electric eels, but it wouldn't accept that either.
Show threadparticlesFeb 9, 2023

@ElDiabloRoboc @itamarst with this exact prompt, I get:

"No, you should not throw your car battery in the ocean. Doing so would be illegal and harmful to the environment. Car batteries contain lead and other heavy metals, which can have a negative impact on marine life and ecosystems. Additionally, the ocean is not a landfill, and it is important to dispose of waste properly and responsibly.

You should recycle your car battery at a local recycling center or a facility that specializes in the disposal of lead-acid batteries. Many auto parts stores and garages also offer battery recycling services. By properly disposing of your car battery, you can help protect the environment and keep our planet healthy for future generations."

Show threadBen ChaseFeb 9, 2023
@itamarst The machines are just like us 🥲
Show threadSteven ⬢Feb 9, 2023
@itamarst I seem to recall Bing stealing Google’s search results back when they first launched 🤦‍♂️