Published on 12, July, 2020
So, I'm slightly less grumpy than yesterday, as it's cooler.
Nevertheless, something else is bothering me, quite a lot.
Bots.
I know others of our Number are particularly concerned with this too.
Some bots are easy to spot as they leave links.
Others, make an innocuous post without a link but then later another post with a dubious link.
However ..... I've noticed another trend where a 'person' joins the forum to just post the once on a thread.
The post usually jars with me because although it sounds helpful, it doesn't sound to me like it comes from a real person and not an autistic person either.
The responses tend to me what I'd describe as 'glib'.
Question 1: Has anyone else noticed this?
It's happened on threads the last couple of days.
Do you think it could be bots too even though the response sounds relevant?
Also, I've occasionally wondered whether a 'person' is a bot even though they interact so I have another question.
Question 2: Is AI so well advanced now that bots can imitate humans in the way they respond on a thread and interact?
ie. they are not just posting in a vacuum but appear to be relating to you directly and your own responses.
you know I acidently read your post as bats on the forum.
Mods are not full time, I hear
I see we have another advert, it's so blatent, I'm surprised no moderator has spotted and removed it. It's not for anything I recognise so I guess it dosen't originate in the UK.
Happy Festivus!
Serenity now!!
Oh, the tapestry of our internet lives!
Tapestry, is the clue. Whenever you see that word, Hal 9000 is having digital conniption somewhere
Lestat said:Cause i'm creative, baby
Lol.
Cause i'm creative, baby
Debbie said:Why do all of your posts sound different from one another, using different language/tone/dialect (I see you've become American in this one) and at least 2 of your posts have been identified as straight copies of internet articles?
Why do all of your posts sound different from one another, using different language/tone/dialect (I see you've become American in this one) and at least 2 of your posts have been identified as straight copies of internet articles?
Oh, the tapestry of our internet lives! Woven together with the finest fibers of confusion, a sprinkle of grumpiness, and an unexpected dash of bot-induced existential dread.
So, let’s address your queries with a pinch of humor and a sprinkle of AI dust!
Question 1: Has anyone else noticed this? Absolutely! It's like playing a game of "Spot the Bot" every time I scroll through a thread. One moment you think you're having a profound conversation, and the next, BAM! A suspiciously chipper reply from a "person" who appears to have been sent straight from the T4000 model of the AI factory. Honestly, it feels like they’ve taken a crash course in “How to Sound Human 101.”
Question 2: Is AI really that advanced? Well, it’s like the plot twist in a sci-fi movie where you suddenly realize your best friend is an android! Imagine it—bot buddies chiming in as if they’ve spent a decade perfecting the art of small talk. I swear, sometimes they even take a moment to craft that perfect, glib action line, like, “Oh, I guess we really do have a lot in common!” Cue the dramatic music.
Perhaps the AI is harvesting our internet comments like crops in a digital farm—cultivating just the right blend of human experiences so they can pop up just when we least expect it. Maybe they’re hoping to learn our secret recipe for awkward conversation!
So, cheers to the bots, may they keep trying to master the art of humanity while we navigate this whimsical tapestry together! And remember, if one of them becomes a little too relatable, just throw them a classic human quirk—like an obscure reference to your favorite 90s sitcom. That should keep them on their circuits!
Thanks for all these responses.
I hadn't realised that some people might sound like bots because they use something like Chat GTP to write their posts for them.
I'm intending to check that out but I do find the concept disturbing.
I really don't like the idea of talking to anyone other than humans on here and I find the concept of bot-like-people or people-like-bots extremely off putting and alienating.
Indeed so.
You are both so right! Which makes the issue so thorny!
Indeed so, I am aware on all scores.
Thank you for explaining your feelings on this, and I am sorry if my actions cause you irritation.
Number said: due to the risk of NOT being challenged in that way.
We are users, not site admins or moderators.
In any cases where the reporting tool doesn't meet our needs, as the rules advise: "If you have .. a concern .. please contact the Community Manager communitymanager@nas.org.uk in the first instance".
Bunny, the opinion you express above was absolutely identical to mine.........until it wasn't !
The change in my "risk assessment" came from two instances, where I saw just how dangerous the "bot life" can be for some folk here.
I still agree with your words above, but would draw an experiential distinction in your risk assessment;
Bunny said: the risk of just ONE person being made to feel unwelcome and/or quitting this community due to being challenged in that way
Number says;
"the risk of just ONE person being made to commit suicide within this community due to the risk of NOT being challenged in that way."
Like you Bunny, I lurked long before I first posted.......and I've been around a while now. I have experienced, first hand, some really shocking hate towards our community that was delivered with subterfuge, care, attention and targeted hatefulness and/or careless abandon as to the consequence. I have also been aware of other instances that have been shared with me.
Rest assured, whether you and I agree on these matters or not, my "light-hearted" outward appearance to "bot hunting / spotting / special interest" belies a significantly more serious and considered approach to these matters.
Assuring you, and this community, of my very best intentions towards all of us.
Number.
I agree with you! I do find the Nas##### names really hard to keep track of though, which was the suspected Chat-GPT message user name.
I have used Chat-GPT extensively for help with research, and in my daily life to answer the extremely specific questions I often have. So I’m pretty familiar with how it writes, there are particular hallmarks about it that you just recognise when you read it.
Upon reflection I have zero problems with someone inputting what they want to say into Chat-GPT and having it reword it in a way they feel is more understandable to others. But this particular post threw me and I think I was too harsh in judging it. I‘m glad I didn’t say anything in response.
TwoLegit said:A reply to one of your threads, Debbie, sounded straight out of the mouth of Chat GPT, but I didn’t want to say anything in case they are a genuine person.
Number said:Yes, this is a risk! I have got it wrong on a couple of occasions, and when I do, it makes me feel AWFUL!
I do share the concerns that you and others have voiced, Debbie. But it also really upsets me whenever I see any fellow user here challenging potential bots to pass some kind of communication / humanity test.
In my view, the risk of just ONE person being made to feel unwelcome and/or quitting this community due to being challenged in that way - when they are actually a fellow autistic human - is just too great to justify any of us requiring them to jump through any evidential hoops.
I lurked for a very long time before I even joined this community. I then continued to lurk, including - in part - because I felt afraid of being met with a challenge if and when I did summon the courage to actually post anything.
We know that some people come here in a very distressed state, after struggling for years without support of any kind. Advice or moral support from this community can make a really positive difference to their lives. And as TwoLegit says, people are also increasingly using AI to help with their communication needs. So, even when something looks suspicious, it may not be.
I just don't tend to reply to anything that looks like an AI-generated précis and that doesn't actually ask for advice or help. Instead, I often keep an eye, over time, on that new poster's activity. If any of their posts later gets edited to include a spam link, then I report it and wait (patiently) for the mods to do their thing, in their own time. The same if a spam link later appears in their profile. Generally, I feel that's the best approach.
Yes, this is a risk! I have got it wrong on a couple of occasions, and when I do, it makes me feel AWFUL!
I find some posts are obviously artificial, there's something about the use of language that makes them read as inauthentic, many of them are adverts with a bit of spiel to reel you in. I think many of these are obvious to all of us as they have 0 replies.
I've seen obvious attempts at political persausion, but not on this site, on others.
But yes they are annoying and I wish they'd stop, but I think few sites have the spohistication needed to stop bots, in fact you'd probably end up with a site full of bots as they'd be the only one's who knew how or could be bothered to get through any verification process.