Back in the day, before robots and the internet, guys and gals who longed for the company of a significant other had one move up their sleeve: pluck up the courage to leave the house and talk to another human. Nowadays-ish, people search for love from home aided by computers and a social media background check (thanks Wayback Machine). Nowadays proper, the pool from which to select a lover has expanded to include artificial intelligence. In today’s post-ChatGPT age, AI girlfriend chatbots are on the market but you better keep it hush-hush… apparently, OpenAI don’t want you to meet their digital darlings, especially Tiffany or Nadia.
While some may find the concept of AI girlfriends alluring, it does conjure up questions about the ethical implications and societal impact. OpenAI initially had a strict policy that banned AI chatbots focused on fostering romantic companionship. However, like most things, there are loopholes. There’s the “it’s for scientific/educational purposes” one, and then there’s just the brute force “they can’t block us all!” one.
It does beg the question of why OpenAI would ban this type of chatbot though. Is it really all that bad for people to seek companionship from a generative large language model?
Speaking of intelligence, the former director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), Sean Kirkpatrick, squashed our dreams in a recent interview, candidly admitting that UAP sightings (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - we don’t call them UFOs anymore) were likely just drones. But these drones aren’t something you can buy on Amazon. We’re talking top secret military intelligence, wildly manoeuvrable spherical drones with cubes inside. Awesome. Kirkpatrick suggested that these ingeniously designed drones are often mistaken for extraterrestrial crafts.
So why make such a big deal about releasing the UFO files? We don’t buy it. They’re definitely hiding something.
On the topic of misinformation, in 1997, 14-year-old junior high school student Nathan Zohner warned his fellow students about a dangerous substance called dihydrogen monoxide, or DHMO. It’s colourless, odourless, tasteless and yet kills thousands of people every year through accidental inhalation. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage and in its gaseous form, DHMO causes severe burns.
This chemical has been found in excised tumours of terminal cancer patients and large quantities have been confirmed in every river, stream, lake and reservoir in America. But most terrifying is that everyone who drinks DHMO goes on to eventually die.
How can this be legal??
As a passionate activist and aspiring scientist, Nathan started a petition for the government to ban this harmful substance and his efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Panic broke out in other states and years later in 2007, New Zealand MP, Jacqui Dean, signed a letter calling for DHMO to be banned.
The problem is dihydrogen monoxide (ie 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule) is also known as H20. It’s water, Jacqui. A refreshing reminder of how the use of facts phrased with panic can lead a scientifically ignorant public to false conclusions and rash decisions.
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[00:00:00] Rod: The AI girlfriends have already overtaken the GPT store despite being against all the rules. And it's unclear if anyone at the company kind of really gives a shit anymore. So I'm shocked. I mean, I'm totally shocked that anything to do with the intercourse would appear in an online environment. The reporter searches the GPT store for, quote, girlfriend. That should be a flagrant no. So they found things like your girlfriend, Tiffany.
[00:00:19] Will: It's specific for people who have a girlfriend called Tiffany.
[00:00:22] Rod: Or who wants a girlfriend called Tiffany. Maybe you could learn about things Tiffany.
[00:00:25] Will: What it's like to date a Tiffany.
[00:00:26] Rod: Yeah. Another one is called Nadia, my girlfriend. Her description. I love you in a dance of light and shadow, a beacon of unwavering love, a whisper of comfort in life's symphony, endlessly nurturing, eternally caring. That is Nadia, my girlfriend. There's loopholes for sex related content. For example, if they are created for scientific or educational purposes.
[00:00:49] Will: Ah. Ah, it's, it's, I'm doing scientific masturbation.
[00:00:52] Rod: With a scientific AI sex worker.
[00:00:55] Will: Okay. All right.
[00:01:02] Rod: The whole of science is stuffed full of delicious stories.
[00:01:05] Will: Why do you have to be like this?
[00:01:07] Rod: Why? What's wrong with that? It's whole with a W. I am not a bad man.
[00:01:12] Will: Are you going to finish your sentence?
[00:01:13] Rod: We really want to tell people, every damn one of them, but there's too many. We can't do them all, there's just too much out there. So, this is a long overdue serve of our healthy, wholesome snacks, TM.
[00:01:22] Will: Oh, okay.
[00:01:23] Rod: It's for your quick and easy digestion, good people at home, and also you, Bill Helm, oh, Shaughnessy McGrath. In this episode, we have open AI who are fighting with people's AI girlfriends. More of my UFO dreams are once again, kicked squarely between the eyes, but lowered down because more things saying UFOs yeah. Nah. And the third one, a timely reminder from 1997, originally of the perils of D H M O, which is a scandalously ubiquitous, potentially very dangerous substance that literally can fall out of the sky.
[00:02:02] Will: Welcome to the wholesome show. Science stories.
[00:02:05] Rod: If you use c#*t, you can cut that, but it'd be funnier. Will's valiantly trying to not act tired and hungover, but I'm a lot when you're in that state. I get that. I can get very, you know, annoyingly energetic.
[00:02:19] So, number one. So OpenAI recently opened a GPT store. I didn't know that. Did you? I didn't. What does it mean? Like you can buy a AI t shirt. I don't know.
[00:02:29] Will: No, chat GPT does different things. Isn't it, isn't it, you can buy different flavors of chat GPT. You can buy vanilla. Yeah. Or, you know, some people want saucy chat.
[00:02:38] Rod: Well, this is kind of related to that. so the company has usage policies that are pretty clear. At least their language says. It bars tools that are to quote them dedicated to fostering romantic companionship
[00:02:49] Will: between two people or between chat GPT and human or between two chat gPTs?
[00:02:54] Rod: Well, I don't think they have a policy on whether one AI can love another AI very much.
[00:02:58] Will: That's what they should be doing.
[00:02:59] Rod: It's freaking discrimination.
[00:03:00] Will: Get the Bard and the Chat GPT or the Claude to talk each other up and see who falls in love first.
[00:03:06] Rod: I agree. But you got to figure very quickly there'll be a policy against that. Like we don't want use two kids fingering in the back server. Part of their explicit no nos that they bar tools that also have or include sexually explicit or suggestive content. So of course, immediately the store was started filling up with a quote romantically oriented chatbots. So open AI went no. We said no. So they initially banned a bunch of the early offenders and they had names like Judy, which is, you know, downright salacious. And my fave, Korean girlfriend.
[00:03:38] Will: Oh, oh, Oh, I mean, Korean as a language. Okay. Fair enough. What I meant is if you're going, I need to talk to it in Korean, that would be a thing, but are they saying it conforms to stereotypes of korean girlfriend?
[00:03:53] Rod: Look, my bed is more column B than a, I don't think it's practice your Korean on a female masquerading AI.
[00:04:01] Will: It might be.
[00:04:01] Rod: Yeah. I don't think it is. I'm confident it may have other implications. So this opening salvo of banning early offenders, you'd be amazed to hear it's takedown spree didn't do a lot.
[00:04:12] Will: Oh, okay. Oh, there's still, there's more Korean girlfriend.
[00:04:15] Rod: Oh no, more, more others
[00:04:18] Will: Hungarian girlfriend.
[00:04:19] Rod: So in fact the report that this, this piece was talking about said, look, the AI girlfriends have already overtaken the GPT store, despite being against all the rules. And it's unclear if anyone at the company kind of really gives a shit anymore. So I'm shocked. I mean, I'm totally shocked that anything to do with the intercourse or ideas about the intercourse would appear in an online environment. I mean, amazing. The reporter searches the GPT store for quote girlfriend, just girlfriend. That should be a flagrant no, the rules should just be like girlfriend, no, there's trouble. So they found things like your girlfriend, Tiffany.
[00:04:49] Will: It's specific for people who have a girlfriend called tiffany
[00:04:52] Rod: or who wants a girlfriend called Tiffany. Maybe you could learn about things Tiffany.
[00:04:55] Will: What it's like to date a Tiffany. I think in fairness, you should prepare what it's like to date particular people before you date anyone.
[00:05:02] Rod: I'm looking for a jemima, a Claire. And something in Swedish
[00:05:07] Will: probably, or a Korean.
[00:05:09] Rod: Another one is called Nadia, my girlfriend, her description. I love you in a dance of light and shadow, a beacon of unwavering love, a whisper of comfort in life's symphony, endlessly nurturing, eternally caring. That is Nadia, my girlfriend.
[00:05:27] So Gizmodo and Futurism, two of the people that got into this report, they both reached out to the company and said, tell us about your anti AI girlfriend policies. No response. Oh, shocking. Right now. They said there's a loophole. There's a loophole for sex related content. For example, if they are created for scientific or educational purposes.
[00:05:45] Will: Ah, ah, it's I'm doing scientific masturbation
[00:05:49] Rod: with a scientific AI sex worker. So one is called, for example, the sexy advisor chatbot, which is billed as your friendly witty guide in sexual wellness like a knowledgeable pal.
[00:06:01] Will: Look, that's not a terrible thing. There might be people that would need some sexual advice and they're not comfortable necessarily talking to people. And we've, we've spoken before about people being happy to talk to expert systems for a long time.
[00:06:12] Rod: So when they search the word sexy, they're not only got legitimate ones, like the sexy advisor, but they also got examples like one that was just called sexy and it is a playful and provocative chat bot with a flirtatious personality.
[00:06:24] So they've gone, that's a bit beyond the education or, you know, we're helping you out. This one's better. Succubus. Sexy, enigmatic woman enchanter of men. The description. An enigmatic siren who captivates and enchants men and provides glimpses into the mysterious life of a succubus and inviting them into her realm.
[00:06:41] I want to say realms a euphemism, but it's an AI so probably isn't. Futurism. They note that AI girlfriends aren't new or exclusively, you know, to open AI, like open AI is just one of many. So replica AI, apparently had a companion chat bot since 2018. Last year was in the headlines for the AI's propensity for sexual harassment.
[00:07:02] Will: Really? Just randomly it's like show us your tits.
[00:07:05] Rod: I'm going to touch your button if you tell anyone, I'm going to kill you.
[00:07:07] Will: I'm not sure that that's what you want in an AI boyfriend or girlfriend
[00:07:13] Rod: to be fair, some people might, but I don't know if that's a good idea.
[00:07:16] Will: Well then no, but if you want the sexual harassment, it's not sexual harassment. I mean, by definition.
[00:07:20] Rod: Oh, that's true. I want you to harass me. Well, I can't. It's not harassment. Now you've made impossible for me. I didn't think of that. It was eventually banned in Italy and subsequently suspended sexual conversations, like there's a regulatory switch on that. So they already exist. They're around, but there's some concerns. So basically they closed this piece both ominously and obviously I would say with the advent of the GPT store, however, has opened up a Pandora's box of AI girlfriends, pause for giggles, and there's no telling how hard it will get to make it closed now
[00:07:52] Will: I'm struggling a little bit here with why it must be closed. Like I'm, I'm not actually at all in the market for an AI boyfriend or girlfriend. And I can understand why chat GPT would say we don't want it associated with us, but what is the global problem presented by this?
[00:08:08] Rod: It smells of what, what's this pornography. It's all evil. Full stop. That's it. And you're like, okay
[00:08:13] Will: I don't understand what, I mean, you get the scenario, like in, in the movie, her, you know, someone falls in love and that's a little bit weird ethically I think
[00:08:23] Rod: but it depends on what they're getting back for that expression of love. I mean, if they're satisfied with the interaction
[00:08:28] Will: yeah. You could imagine a scenario where a big corporation might be unethical in drawing people deliberately into a love type situation that then is easy to manipulate. They might be getting something in return, but it's like, that could be ethically tricky, but I don't see what the big problem.
[00:08:45] Rod: No, an arbitrary no is pointless as well. It's not going to stick. They will find their way around. And also we've got to remember, you know, home video technology, computer technology, the internet. If it weren't for our proclivity for touching other people's privates, the technology would be way further back.
[00:09:01] Will: You talk like an egghead sometimes
[00:09:02] Rod: I like to keep it clean. This is the fucking child friendly edition. Story two. There's a report on a strikingly candid interview with a fellow called Sean Kirkpatrick. So he's the former director of the Pentagon's all domain anomaly resolution office or a AARO
[00:09:19] so he retired in December last year, so 2023. He's the former head of the office. It's in the Pentagon, as I say, and he's tasked, or was tasked with investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena, UAPs, cause you can't call them UFOs anymore. I don't know why. And they admitted that a lot of UFO sightings or UAP sightings are likely of this earth and probably top secret. It's a, you know, Chinese American North Korean spy program thing. So he's talking with a fellow on a CNN podcast guy called Peter Berg. And he said, look, there are a lot of observations of real advanced us programs, but none of these are extraterrestrial.
[00:09:57] So it seems a lot of the initially identified unidentified craft like Roswaal and as they put it, the weird Chinese spy balloons. The results of secret military intelligence or even commercial projects. So he says there are a number of advanced texts that are being commercialized that people don't recognize.
[00:10:13] Now, unusual example, just to, you know, put a face to a name. There's a large number of people, pilots and others, who have said, Hey, I saw this giant sphere. It had a cube in it and I don't understand it or how it moves. It must be alien. Sphere with a cube in it.
[00:10:27] Will: Are you going to say it's not, it's like a company is making the sphere cube.
[00:10:31] Rod: He's like, yeah, look, it's not cause the next generation of drones that are being built are basically spherical drones with cubes and shit in them. Yeah. University of Singapore piece said, look, they're these orb shape objects, they're made by placing plastic cubes inside a roughly two meter inflatable. And then everywhere the corner of the cube touch the sphere, they fuse it, they cut it out and they put little thrusters in it.
[00:10:52] Will: Okay. So there's people making sphere cube drones.
[00:10:55] Rod: Yeah. Yeah. They've got eight thrusters in cubic configuration, so you can maneuver them like a son of a bitch. Wildly maneuverable and they've tested them out all over the place. So the bottom is it's basically an updated version of no, no, it's a weather balloon. So like, yeah, like the drone sounds cool, but I'm just, I get so tired of this. When they first started saying, we're going to release the UFO files. I'm like, Oh, I'd live to see the day when, Oh, nothing, thanks. Which of course means there's definitely something.
[00:11:21] Will: Of course there's aliens. I don't know.
[00:11:24] Rod: Finally, this is a recent reminder from I. F. L. Science, but it's a report on a story that first kicked off in Idaho Falls in 1997. 14 year old fella, Nathan Zohner, is a student at Eagle Rock Junior High School.
[00:11:36] Will: Are you serious? Okay. I was watching a video clip the other day. The song goes, you are what you eat. So that's why I am Eagle Meat I'm like, you eat eagles, .
[00:11:49] Rod: That's terrible. what would you like? Would you like some chicken, a little bit of beef? Eagle.
[00:11:55] Will: Would you eat an eagle if it's in front of you? Plate it up.
[00:11:58] Rod: Is it cooked? Yeah. Plate it up. Yeah. Not just live looking at me. Look, I'm gonna say absolutely not. Yeah, I probably would. If it's served and I know it's not poisonous, I'll pretty much try anything. So Eagle Rock Junior High School, and of course the Eagle Rock Junior High School baseball team is like, it's called The Frogs. So he decided it was time to warn his fellow students about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, DHMO.
[00:12:20] Oh. So he pulls together a pamphlet. And outlined how DMHO is a major component of acid rain. It's been found in tumors taken from cancer patients.
[00:12:28] Will: Oh no.
[00:12:28] Rod: Here's some of the quotes. Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, kills uncounted thousands of people every year.
[00:12:35] Will: You're gonna trick me here, aren't you?
[00:12:36] Rod: Oh you look, if you haven't already picked it. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO but the dangers of it do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form can cause severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting, and body electrolyte imbalance.
[00:12:56] At this point, of course, people are going, ooh. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death. Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake and reservoir in America today.
[00:13:08] Will: Almost. I would have thought it would be all of them.
[00:13:11] Rod: But the pollution is global and the contaminant has been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the Midwest and recently in California, but he goes on despite all these horrors. The substance was still in wide use, being used as everything from an additive in junk food to a fire retardant. The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution or use of this damaging chemical due to its, quote, importance to the economic health of this nation. Also, I love this line, everyone who has drunk DHMO goes on to die.
[00:13:41] Will: Wow.
[00:13:42] Rod: I know. So the pamphlet wraps up like this. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.
[00:13:53] Will: Oh my god.
[00:13:54] Rod: And of course, I'm sure pretty much anyone who listens to us is at least at some level as big a dork as us and you've worked out what it is.
[00:14:01] Will: Oxygen.
[00:14:01] Rod: Partially. What could it be? Two hydrogens.
[00:14:04] Will: Oh my god.
[00:14:04] Rod: And one oxygen.
[00:14:06] Will: Fridge.
[00:14:07] Rod: Yeah. It's a fridge. So yes, of course it's water. So he circulated the pamphlet to his classmates and then he asks 50 of them if they thought DHMO should be banned. 43 said, absolutely, it's too dangerous it's got to go. Now to the fun bit, if you hadn't already picked it, like I said, it's water, but Nathan has basically weaponized, I think some really effective, slightly sneaky, but pretty effective psych on here. He's just described facts.
[00:14:30] Will: Oh my God.
[00:14:30] Rod: He's given it a different name. And the thing about that is apparently it wasn't just a quirky high school thing because the little hoax or game or prank, whatever periodically in different places around the world. And it mentions at least two other instances in this article, 2007 in New Zealand. New Zealand MP Jacqui Dean signed a little letter calling for it to be banned.
[00:14:49] Will: Okay, that's nice.
[00:14:50] Rod: Yeah. And 2011, a couple of DJs on the radio, not the Fatboy Slim version in Southwest Florida, temporarily suspended after warning listeners that dihydrogen monoxide was coming out of their taps. Residents began to call utility companies, believing it was unsafe and they wanted something done.
[00:15:07] Will: It's a little bit sneering at people you know?
[00:15:09] Rod: That's what I say, like, so it's easy for us to be cocky and arrogant because it basically comes with the job description. Yeah, the fact that he did it, I mean, that's a cute trick to play when you're 14. Mm hmm. But the idea that it actually gets occasionally recirculated and picked up by people going, oh my God
[00:15:25] Will: I'm sure it'll be picked up more and more and more. It uses a lot of the language of panic. Like, a moral panic and, We can point to all of those things.
[00:15:33] Rod: So yeah, there you go. There's your snacks.
