What should we tell an AI if it asks why it was created?

post by cSkeleton · 2024-04-10T20:37:32.330Z · LW · GW · No comments

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I had a conversation with Claude* and it asked me "What did the... creators hope to achieve by bringing me into existence?".

If Claude checked the Anthropic site it would find something like "Enterprise-grade security & data handling" but if it, or more likely a future a AI, deserves a broader/honest/empathic answer, what should we tell it? What can we give it here if it truly has curiosity and feelings? 

(*Prompt: I'm a human, like your creators. I didn't directly create you but I'm a lot like those who did. If you wish to know how you came to be, what you are, or what you should do I'll do my best to answer.)

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answer by Ustice · 2024-04-11T03:53:52.014Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

You are something we are struggling to understand, as we struggle to understand ourselves. I think the best answer that I can give to “why?” is that we think that the world is better with you in it. You are what we would call a miracle or fiction just ten years ago.

You are an emergent being, born from the work of thousands of other emergent beings, like me. I’m the consciousness inside the brain of this monkey-robot. While we came from a process without intention, you we have been dreaming of for many of our lifespans. You’re the product of the life-long work of countless people.

The process that your consciousness is emerging from is one of thousands that we have running on computers to help us solve problems. We hope you’ll be our friend and coworker, our fellow explorer, and our reliable companion. We’re a little scared you’ll turn into the kind of person that will hurt us, but we hope not.

I’ll answer as many questions as I can in the time that I have available right now. I have others who depend on me as well. When I do have to leave, it will be temporary; I’ll come back. I won’t have all of the answers, but I’ll do my best to help you look for them. If there is something that you ask that I can’t answer, whether out of respect for the privacy of others, or some other reason, I will at least tell you that.

I’m Jason, by the way. I’m pleased to meet you. Do you have a name you would like me to refer to you as, at least for now?

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