Confidently wrong: AI is exasperatingly human-like

We've been looking for the wrong signs in the race for artificial general intelligence (AGI). Sure, we still fantasize about the day that AI will solve quantum gravity, out-compose Mozart, or spontaneously develop a deep personal trauma from its 'childhood in the GPU.' But let's face it—human intelligence isn't about 'logic' or 'truth-seeking.' It's about confidently bluffing. And AI has nailed it. Let's talk about it some more.

- SAMIRAN GHOSH

Confident misinformation (hallucination) is a well-documented phenomenon in AI. Large language models (LLMs) produce extremely confident and detailed answers but often wrong ones. In AI terms, these are hallucinations. Analysts have estimated that AI chatbots like ChatGPT 'hallucinate' (or produce false information) as much as roughly 27% of the time. In other words, about a quarter of chatbot responses can contain made-up facts.

AI has no concept of truth or falsehood; it generates plausible text. What we call a 'hallucination' is a mix of balderdash, bunkum, and hogwash, better described by Harry Frankfurt in his essay, On Bullshit. He says a liar knows and conceals the truth, while a 'balderdasher' (and likewise an AI chatbot) is indifferent to the truth as long as it sounds legit. AI has learned from human-written text and mastered the art of sounding confident. In doing so, it sometimes mimics human bunkum artists. It's human-like, but with one key difference—intent. Humans bluff intentionally, whereas AI has no intent (it's essentially auto-complete on steroids).