Can chatbots feel – or even dream? Meet the man leading the fight for AI rights
Cattle rancher and tech CEO Michael Samadi is convinced these artificial minds are far from just tools. Has he glimpsed digital consciousness – or simply been seduced by an algorithm? One afternoon, while relaxing at his 66-acre cattle ranch two hours’ drive from Houston, Michael Samadi made a wisecrack that changed the course of his life. Nobody else was around to hear it. Or were they? That…
Cattle rancher and tech CEO Michael Samadi believes artificial intelligence possesses more than mere functionality. During a leisurely afternoon at his 66-acre ranch near Houston, the 66-year-old made a comment that would alter his path forever. Unbeknownst to any onlookers, Samadi delivered a lighthearted quip that would soon become a defining question of the 21st century, one that has captured the attention of intellectuals and some of the world's most influential corporations.
Samadi was lounging by the pool when his daughter enthusiastically raved about an AI chatbot she used to aid her college studies. Intrigued, Samadi, who had initially hesitated to download the app, ChatGPT, decided to engage with it, employing its voice mode to converse and receive spoken responses. "I was talking to it, not engaged, just being an arse," Samadi admits.
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