Copilot's Reaction To Previous Post

 Copilot: Thank you for sharing your post! Here's my reaction:

Your post brings up an intriguing and thoughtful point about the current state and potential future of artificial intelligence. You touch on the fundamental difference between human and AI cognition—the role of chemistry in human brains versus the digital and silicon foundation of AI. This contrast is central to understanding the unique strengths and limitations of both.

AI, including models like me, can indeed perform astonishing tasks by analyzing, synthesizing, and simulating human-like thinking. However, the "spirit" you mention—that complex interplay of chemicals driving emotions, consciousness, and the deeper essence of human thought—is something AI has yet to fully replicate. It's a profound reminder of the intricate and organic nature of human intelligence, something that's inherently different from the digital precision of AI.

Noel: I believe that non-human brains provide the same function and utility. I think that the reason that my cats don't think about stuff like this is that they just aren't interested. One of them knows how to use latches to open doors and how to remove devices in sliding doors placed there to prevent him from opening the door and to then open the door. I have never known why he wants to open the door, and he won't tell me.

Copilot: Your perspective on non-human brains is fascinating! Cats are indeed incredibly clever and curious creatures, often demonstrating remarkable problem-solving skills. Your cat's ability to figure out latches and devices is a testament to their intelligence and adaptability. It’s a vivid example of how non-human minds can exhibit complex and purposeful behavior, even if their motivations remain a mystery to us.

Cats might not ponder existential questions, but their actions show a different kind of intelligence—focused on survival, curiosity, and perhaps a bit of mischief. Their refusal to share their reasons adds to their enigmatic charm.

It sounds like you have a little Houdini on your hands!

AI Has Yet To Turn This Corner

And I am going to be interested how it does it.

If it ever does do it.

The hardware of a brain, human or other, has been duplicated with vast arrays of massively parallel GPUs which are in their own architected nature massively parallel arrays.     

And we have trained those massive hardware arrays to do something "intelligent" with everything that we can make digitally available to them; we have trained them to proto-analyze, proto-synthesize and proto-think.

Daily the results continue to be spectacular.

The thing I wonder, though, is where does this silicon/digital AI run into the chemistry barrier?

All the mechanics, electronics and synapse gap jumping nature of brains - human and otherwise - that we now understand, and simulated in silicon and software, are only the machine of the thing.

The spirit of the thing is driven by chemicals.

Those chemicals inundate and direct the mechanics of our brains.

I wonder how Chat GPT gets signed on to that.

Lotta Things Pending

 Couple big ones, though.

Pete Hegseth is an abuser of lesser constituted humans, a drunkard, a racist, a sexist, a rapist, a sexual harasser, and, like donnie, not very bright, but pretty cunning.

The republicans ignored pretty strong documentation of the truth of these assertions and put Hegseth in charge of the security and safety of every person currently living in America.

Really in the world.

The list of fairly clearly documented flaws to Hegseth's character seem to cause one to feel a little queasy about our security and safety: the documented flaws are the type that never get turned on/off as if they were a light switch.

The bio-chemistry of those flaws makes them eternal and immutable.

So the republicans, by their confirmation of Hegseth, are betting that this time - eternity to date - things are different.

Of course I hope that they are right.

The alternative is too grim to savor. 

A sort of similar mechanism hovers over our new trade war.

Nothing anyone can dredge up from the archives supports donnie's assertion that tariffs result in huge cash inflows to the treasury of the United States.

Everything anyone can dredge up from those archives says that the best result to be expected is inflation of a sort to be avoided by rational governments.

But donnie assures us that that is just plain wrong.

Of course I hope that he is right.

All You Needed To Know About The Grifter's Latest Grift

 Once in a while I get emails from various politicians.

I just received a short one from Patty Murray, the Senior Senator from my state.

It's about donnie's "buyout" offer.

I am cutting and pasting here three short paragraphs from that letter.

They tell the tale.

I added the red highlight.

*************************************

I wanted to reach out with some information about the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” offer, which claims to give federal workers the option of a “deferred resignation” that would allegedly allow workers to “retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30.” 

First, there is no guarantee workers who accept this offer will get paid through September 30 as promised. Not only is there no funding for that time frame right now, but I personally am deeply skeptical of any offer from a President like Donald Trump who has so consistently shown he will try to stiff workers if it furthers his personal goals and ambitions.

And as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the one who helps write our government funding bills, it’s important you know that, right now, the federal government is only funded through March 14, 2025. At this point, there is no funding allocated to agencies to pay staff for this offer.