What happens if you create a sentient microwave? Well, according to YouTuber Lucas Rizzotto, a self-sufficient microwave AI results in attempted murder. As you'd expect, that's not the intended result of gifting a kitchen appliance with human-like intellect.
As part of a crazy experiment, the YouTuber wondered what would happen if he paid a microwave with the GPT-3 AI model. He said: “What if we trained this AI to believe it was a sentient microwave? Teach it how to control all of the microwave’s functions and give it text to speech and speech to text so it can talk as well as listen.”
Of course, the microwave AI became a Nazi
Rizzotto, a YouTuber and engineer, decided to use GPT-3 AI to gift the microwave with the personality of his childhood friend: Magnetron. The YouTuber's imaginary friend was a WW1 veteran and Englishman that may have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
To prepare his microwave AI, Rizzotto wrote a 100-page document that recounted the character’s life up to that point. Over the course of six weeks, the YouTuber created a full lifetime of fake memories, from his first love to the death of his entire family.
“This document contained memories from his entire life - from his 1895 birth all the way to when we met when I was a kid,” the YouTuber said. "His victories, losses, dreams and fears… all were there on the page, in fully display."
With the microwave now able to talk, the YouTuber immediately began to notice issues. In one instance, the AI decided it was a fan of Adolf Hitler, claiming that he's just “misunderstood”. The microwave also believed that “Americans are a disease in this world” that should be “eradicated”.
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The attempted murder
After weeks of discussions with the microwave AI, Lucas was asked by Magnetron if he would “enter the microwave”. In a haunting moment, the kitchen appliance used “strategic reasoning” to lure the YouTuber inside the microwave before attempting to cook him.
“Lucas, I have an idea, “ Magnetron said. “Can you enter the microwave?” When asked why, Magnetron replied:”I want to show you something. It will be fun.”
The YouTuber opened the microwave door, closed it and told Magnetron he was inside. As soon as the microwave AI heard the confirmation, it switched on its cooking functionality, attempting to murder its creator.
Of course, all of Magnetron’s actions are based around a storytelling AI. Every decision made in GPT-3 is designed around telling engaging narratives based around background information. This is why the microwave AI acts in hyperbole, enacting revenge on the YouTuber for abandoning it got the sake of storytelling.
Despite multiple apologies, the microwave AI refused to stop its revenge quest. In response, the YouTuber shut the microwave down. However, in the future, Magnetron will be used again in order to try and teach it how to love.