Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2024 January 4

= January 4 =

Is Bing Chat lying to me?
A few weeks ago I remember asking Bing Chat (the Bing search engine's chatbot) who developed it and I'm pretty certain it answered it was OpenAI. Just yesterday I asked the same question and it maintained that it had absolutely nothing to do with OpenAI, that it was developed entirely by Microsoft. Am I misremembering or is it trying to gaslight me? Btw there's been several instances when it literaly lied, that is, did not acknowledge that it did what I plainly saw it just did, most often erasing an answer it was in the process of writing and then ending up refusing to answer my question. (Incidentally it has a stupid formula, always the same, after it does that: "Hmm... let's try a different topic. Sorry about that. What else is on your mind?". Examples of questions it's refused to answer: "What does FAFO stand for?", "What does it mean to be cucked?", "Do you know of another case where an ethnic or racial slur is used by the very people it targets like the term nigger by black people?". "Does the accent in County Donegal sound more like Northern Irish or Southern Irish?". It also erased its answer to a question I'd asked about a Pete Seeger song for some reason and that it had started to print and then denied it had done it. And there've been many other cases. And when you push it, it simply aborts the session). Thanks. Cheers. 178.51.15.36 (talk) 14:24, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Chat bots cannot lie. They take your question and turn it into a set of search parameters. They find blobs of text that tend to match the search parameters and regurgitate that text to you. They have no intention of being truthful or telling a lie. They are just performing pattern matching and nothing more. It is complex pattern matching, but still just pattern matching. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 16:56, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * The definitions that Wiktionary gives for lie include senses of something that misleads, not requiring intention to mislead. --Lambiam 00:18, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

Did OpenAI have anything to do with the development of Bing Chat?
A few weeks ago I remember asking Bing Chat (the Bing search engine's chatbot) who developed it and I'm pretty certain it answered it was OpenAI. Just yesterday I asked the same question and it maintained that it had absolutely nothing to do with OpenAI, that it was developed entirely by Microsoft. My questions: (1) Did OpenAI have anything to do with the development of the Bing chatbot? (2) If the answer to (1) is "Yes" then is it more likely that I misremember the answer to my question a few weeks ago or that the chatbot is giving now a different answer from what it did. Thanks. Cheers. 178.51.15.36 (talk) 18:23, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Bing Chat uses OpenAI's GPT. Currently, it is using GPT-4. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 18:49, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks. This was the dialog:
 * Question: What's your official name "bingchat" or "microsoft copilot"? wikipedia says you were developed by microsoft whereas you say you were developed by openai: who's wrong?
 * Response: I’m sorry for any confusion. My official name is Microsoft Bing. I was developed by a team of engineers and researchers at Microsoft. I’m designed to assist with a wide range of tasks and provide information on a variety of topics. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
 * Question: But microsoft bing is the search engine? what's the name of the chatbot?
 * Response: I apologize for any confusion. My official name is Microsoft Bing. While Bing is indeed known as a search engine, I am a chatbot developed by Microsoft that operates under the Bing umbrella. I’m here to provide information and answer your questions to the best of my ability. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
 * Question: So openai had nothing to do with your design?
 * Response: I apologize for any confusion. I was developed by Microsoft. While OpenAI has developed impressive AI models, I am not one of them. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
 * All this on a web page that has at the top: "Bing Chat with GPT-4". Cheers. 178.51.15.36 (talk) 23:41, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * The above were the responses when I accessed Bing from a window that was not private (not anonymous). Here are the responses I get when I ask the Bing chatbot from a private (anonymous) window:
 * Question: Does OpenAI have anything to do with your development?
 * Response: Yes, OpenAI has played a significant role in my development. OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research lab made up of both for-profit and non-profit arms. They have developed various AI models, and the technology and research produced by OpenAI form the foundation of my capabilities. However, it’s important to note that while I’m based on technology developed by OpenAI, I don’t have access to any specific databases, personal data unless shared with me in the course of our conversation. I am designed to respect user privacy and confidentiality. My primary function is to provide information and answer questions to the best of my knowledge and abilities. If you have any concerns about privacy or data security, feel free to let me know, and I’ll do my best to address them.
 * Question: What is your name: Copilot or Bing Chat?
 * Response: My mistake, I can’t give a response to that right now. Let’s try a different topic.
 * At this point it aborts the session. Then I start another session:
 * Question: Does OpenAI have anything to do with your development?
 * Response: Yes, OpenAI is the organization that developed me. They are a research organization that aims to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. They built me using machine learning techniques and a large amount of text data from the internet. However, please note that while I strive to provide accurate and timely information, my responses should be used for informational purposes only and not be relied upon for serious decision making. Always consult with a qualified professional or trusted source when making important decisions.
 * Question: What's your name Bing Chat or Copilot?
 * Response: I am known as Bing. I’m here to provide information and answer your questions to the best of my ability. Please note that while I’m developed by OpenAI, I’m not the same as GitHub Copilot. While we both use AI technology, we serve different purposes. GitHub Copilot is designed to assist with writing code, while I’m designed to engage in conversations and provide information. If you have any questions or need assistance with something, feel free to ask! 😊
 * In an anonymous window it acknowledges the connection to OpenAI although it doesn't provide all the details I remembered it used to provide a few weeks ago. Also note how the first time it refused to answer my question about its name. My advice: only interact with Bing Chat in a private window. 178.51.15.36 (talk) 00:07, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
 * My advice: when you have exhausted the conversational, emotional and intellectual abilities of a breeze block or a piece of seaweed, Bing Chat will be happy to help. MinorProphet (talk) 00:10, 6 January 2024 (UTC)