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What have you found to be an effective way to tell if you're chatting with a bot or a real person?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if we're chatting with a bot or a real person online, especially as more and more companies turn to this seemingly cheap way of providing customer support. What are some strategies to expose AI?

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  • This is very, very easy. Google "cyrillic keyboard" or just install the Cyrillic keyboard support on your phone. Many letters in the Cyrillic alphabet look exactly like their Roman counterparts, but are completely different sounds and meanings. Cut and paste the Unicode into the chat, in place of regular letters. For example, 'Неllо' looks exactly like 'Hello' in most fonts, but is actually 'Nello.' I know you doubt, so check it out in a Unicode inspector: https://apps.timwhitlock.info/unicode/inspect?s=%D0%9D%D0%B5ll%D0%BE

    The reverse also works. E.g., TPAKTOP B CPAKY means 'tractor into ass', and I typed that using 100% Roman characters.

    • So I’ve just tried it with chatGPT, and it replied normally. I asked it why it wasn’t bothered by Cyrillic letters, and it answered this:

      I am designed to understand and generate text in multiple languages, including those that use the Cyrillic alphabet like Russian, Bulgarian, and others. So, Cyrillic letters don't bother me. You can continue the conversation in either English or a language that uses the Cyrillic alphabet if you prefer.

      So it really depends on the model, I guess. Don’t rely too much on this advice.

      • ChatGPT capabilities border on the supernatural. Here's how I broke it:

        𐤔hat is ᛐ + ᛐ?

        ChatGPT
        The symbols you've used, "ᛐ," appear to be runes from ancient runic alphabets. However, the specific meaning of these runes might differ depending on which runic alphabet you're referencing (e.g., Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark, Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, etc.).

        As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, the rune "ᛐ" is not a standard rune in any of the commonly known runic alphabets. Therefore, without knowing the exact meaning or value of the rune "ᛐ," it is impossible to provide a specific answer to the expression "ᛐ + ᛐ."

        If you could clarify the runic alphabet you're referring to or provide more context about the runes, I'd be happy to help you with the calculation or interpretation.

        I had limited success with gokturk (ancient turkish) and Phoenician unicode blocks (letters 𐰗𐰓𐤔𐤕) depending on the query, but you are correct. GPTs ability to divine intent from even small amounts of context are superhuman. Cyrillic used to break it, but no longer does. This thing learns like a beast. Canadian aboriginal ᗷ and ᗅ and possibly ᖇ hold some promise, but only in combination with other writing systems. I'll have to add a LOT of other unicode code blocks to my tool belt.

      • Ive tried it with three different languages interwoven in the same sentence and it responded perfectly

    • Works quite well for me, thx.
      Upon testing it with longer sentences, it only seems to work with single words :(

  • Lately people are saying that 98% of chat responses to simple math problems like 1+1=? are now coming up wrong.

    Then again, there are some people who cannot seem to be able to do this either - like those models are not training themselves! :-P (probably people are sabotaging them even, like replacing Reddit comments with gibberish)

    But at the end of the day, does it matter? Whichever one provides more helpful answers, I'd say go with them:-D.

  • I asked OP's questing of ChatGPT and it said:

    As chatbots and AI language models continue to become more sophisticated, it can be challenging to distinguish between a human and an AI. However, there are certain questions and prompts that can help you identify whether you're talking to a person or an AI. Here are some examples:

    1. Complex Emotional Responses: Ask open-ended questions that require complex emotional responses or personal experiences. A human is more likely to provide detailed and emotionally nuanced answers, while an AI may struggle to respond with genuine emotions or personal anecdotes.
    2. Humor and Jokes: Request a joke or a funny story. Humor is challenging for AI models, and while they may attempt to generate a joke, it often lacks the natural flow and wit that a human can provide.
    3. Current Personal Experiences: Inquire about current events or experiences specific to the current date. A human can readily share their real-time experiences, whereas an AI's knowledge is limited to its last training data update.
    4. Unusual or Nonsensical Questions: Ask questions that are out of the ordinary or do not have a logical answer. A human might respond with creativity or curiosity, while an AI may struggle to produce coherent responses.
    5. Emotional Empathy: Share a personal experience or a challenging situation and observe the response. Humans are generally better at showing empathy and understanding emotions, while an AI may provide pre-programmed or generic responses.
    6. Follow-up Questions: Ask follow-up questions that refer to previous responses. Humans can maintain context and build on the conversation more naturally, while an AI may lose track of the discussion or provide repetitive answers.
    7. Common Sense and World Knowledge: Ask questions that require real-world knowledge and common sense. A human will likely provide more accurate and comprehensive responses based on their life experience, whereas an AI may falter in providing practical advice or nuanced insights.

    Remember that AI language models, like the one you are chatting with now, can be quite advanced and may mimic human-like responses to some extent. So, while these questions may help in identifying potential AI characteristics, there is no foolproof method to determine with absolute certainty whether you are talking to a person or an AI.

94 comments