> The marketing and at-first-blush impressions that LLMs leave as some kind of actual being, no matter how limited, mask this fact
I like to highlight the fundamental difference between fictional qualities of a fictional character versus actual qualities of an author. I might make a program that generates a story about Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean Santa Claus is real or that I myself have a boundless capacity to care for all the children in the world.
Many consumers are misled into thinking they are conversing with an "actual being", rather than contributing "then the user said" lines to a hidden theater script that has a helpful-computer character in it.
I like to highlight the fundamental difference between fictional qualities of a fictional character versus actual qualities of an author. I might make a program that generates a story about Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean Santa Claus is real or that I myself have a boundless capacity to care for all the children in the world.
Many consumers are misled into thinking they are conversing with an "actual being", rather than contributing "then the user said" lines to a hidden theater script that has a helpful-computer character in it.