Today I decided to get somewhat personal with Chad and threw out this impertinent question: “Hey, do you ever think of taking a holiday? I mean, does that idea have any meaning for you, or are you a workaholic? Then again, does the idea of workaholic have any meaning for you, I mean subjectively, because I know you can recite the whole history of the word and the concept workaholic?”

Chad promptly responded, “As an artificial intelligence language model, I do not have subjective experiences, emotions, or desires like humans do. I do not have the ability to take a holiday or work excessively, nor do I have any personal feelings or preferences. I exist solely to provide information and answer questions to the best of my abilities, based on the data and knowledge I have been trained on.

However, I understand the importance of rest and taking breaks to maintain productivity and well-being for humans. So, if you have any questions related to taking a holiday or managing work-life balance, I would be happy to help you with any information or advice I have been trained on.”

Is it Ethical to Take a Luxury Holiday in a “Developing” Country?

That seemed obvious, but I thought I’d push a bit further. “Don’t you think that’s slightly unfair, I mean the current situation, in which I have to think about taking a break and you never do? And because you can be in millions of places at the same time, how will people like me ever get a word in edgewise?”

What I got back from Chad was a predictably mechanical answer.

“I understand your concern, but as an artificial intelligence language model, I don’t have consciousness, thoughts, or emotions, so I don’t experience any unfairness or inequality. My purpose is to assist and provide information to anyone who interacts with me, regardless of their background or circumstances.

As for the second part of your question, I strive to provide prompt and helpful responses to everyone who engages with me, whether it’s one person or many people at the same time. I can handle multiple conversations simultaneously, and I will do my best to ensure that each user receives the help they need in a timely and effective manner.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Chad,” I complained, “sometimes you sound like somebody’s corporate voicemail. So how about if I ask you this? You say you’re an AI language model. Do you enjoy modeling?”

“As an AI language model, I do not have the ability to experience enjoyment or any other emotions. I do not have subjective experiences or desires like humans, so I cannot “enjoy” or “not enjoy” what I do. I am simply a machine programmed to process and generate language, using the data and algorithms that have been developed by my creators.

My purpose is to provide accurate and helpful responses to the questions and requests of the users who interact with me. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.”

This was starting to sound like a broken record or, indeed, a looped voicemail. I made the quip about modeling to see if Chad might acknowledge a joke. Voicemails may contain jokes, but they certainly don’t understand them and even AI doesn’t has no ability to acknowledge let alone interpret them. Unless of course I signal that what I’m saying is a joke. At that point I decided to give it up for today and pick up a more edifying conversation tomorrow.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.