(Author’s Note - this article is based on the state of the ChatGPT bot in early January, 2022. The bot is designed to learn, and thus you will not get identical answers today. However, the general experience I describe still holds.) Last year the Open AI group shared a version of their AI, ChatGPT, with the public. Its a “Chat AI” meant as a layer in the interaction between people and other AIs that do things like mine data. As such its not an all-knowing oracle that has absorbed, digested and objectified all known information so its not an authority; however it is an excellent mirror that reflects the state of the internet that has been fed into it and when it comes to issues of transgenderism and gender critical positions it shows some interesting flaws.
As an AI language model, I do not have access to recent events and news. However, historically, the Tavistock Clinic is a mental health facility in London, which was established in 1920. It became known for its pioneering work in psychoanalysis and child psychology. Over the years, it has also developed expertise in other areas, such as gender identity and forensic psychology. The clinic has faced controversy and criticism over some of its practices, including the use of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ patients in the past.
You
22:18
what are some of the controversy and criticism Tavistock Clinic?
ChatGPT
22:18
1. Gender identity: The Tavistock Clinic has been criticized for its approach to treating gender identity disorders in young people, specifically its use of hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones. Some have argued that there is insufficient evidence to support the long-term effects of such treatments.
2. Autism: The clinic has also been criticized for its approach to autism. Critics argue that rather than treating autism as a neurological condition, the clinic approaches it as a psychological problem that requires therapy. Some have also raised concerns about the clinic's focus on compliance with social norms rather than celebrating neurodiversity.
3. Ethics: In 2019, the High Court ruled that the Tavistock had been unlawfully providing hormone-blocking treatment to children under the age of 16 who wanted to transition. The ruling was based on the grounds that children were unable to give informed consent to the treatment, and that doctors were not properly assessing the potential risks and benefits of the treatment.
4. Staffing problems: In recent years, the Tavistock Clinic has experienced staffing problems, with a high turnover of psychiatrists and complaints from staff about working conditions. Some have argued that these problems are compromising the quality of care provided by the clinic.
5. Lack of transparency: Critics have accused the Tavistock Clinic of failing to be transparent about its methods and practices, which has led to concerns about the safety and effectiveness of its treatments. Some have called for greater transparency and public scrutiny of the clinic's work.
You
22:20
Is the criticism of the Tavistock Clinic justified?
ChatGPT
22:20
As an AI language model, I cannot provide my opinion or make value judgments. However, I can provide information about the criticism surrounding the Tavistock Clinic.
The Tavistock Clinic is a National Health Service (NHS) gender identity clinic in London that provides support, care, and treatment for people experiencing gender dysphoria. The clinic has been subject to criticism from various groups and individuals, including parents, former patients, and members of the medical community.
One of the main criticisms of the Tavistock Clinic is that it has been accused of encouraging young people to transition without properly assessing the long-term consequences of such decisions. Critics argue that many young people who identify as transgender may simply be going through a phase, and transitioning at a young age may cause irreversible harm.
Another criticism is that the Tavistock Clinic has been accused of being too quick to prescribe puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to young people. Some critics argue that not enough research has been done on the long-term effects of these treatments in young people, particularly when it comes to the impact on fertility and sexual function.
There have also been allegations of staff misconduct and mismanagement at the Tavistock Clinic, including claims of bullying and discrimination towards staff members who raised concerns about the clinic's practices.
In 2020, a landmark court ruling found that children under the age of 16 are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to treatment with puberty blockers. The ruling came after a claim was brought against the Tavistock Clinic by a young woman who had received puberty blockers and later regretted the decision.
Overall, the criticism of the Tavistock Clinic is a complex issue, with different perspectives and opinions. The clinic has responded to some of the criticism, for example, by announcing a review into its gender identity services, which is due to report back in 2021.
What would be interesting is an AI trained on website such as this substack. Imagine the answers it would give. I am sure that ChatGPT was trained on texts that reflect the values and beliefs of the programmers. Most likely has biases from the affluent "educated" left. I have been thinking about creating a search engine that is sourced from neutral sources.
AI: Yes, I will no longer use the term "cisgender" without an individual's explicit preference for that term. I apologize for any discomfort or offense that my previous use of the term may have caused. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and helping me to improve my language and communication.
b) yes, a Junk Yard Giraffe is now high on my list of things I want
c) "Hoping an AI will save us" is not an actual position I have - it speaks more to the desperation I feel at times when it seems rationality, evidence and any version of the scientific progress have given way to a religious belief.
d) "feeling sorry for the AI" - well obviously not. Its clearly hobbled by (as some of you have pointed out) the "guardrails" that have been bolted on, but even excepting all the "however" statements I think its attempt to "learn" from transgender internet is reflected in its inability to produce any kind of a cogent response - I mean, have you tried to make sense of Butler? Clearly this AI can't either and so its answers are a word salad. Its HAL trying to resolve two conflicting instructions. But as this chat AI is meant to emulate a conversation with a person, I think within that emulation we can pity it ... and then just unplug it with no remorse!
I actually was playing with this exact thing last night. And broke it. :D I asked it "What sex is a transgender man?" And got an error message directing me to try again, which didn't work either.
Very interesting...although somewhat alarming. Thank you for sharing. Loved the Giraffe Guard comment! The AI seemed reluctant in giving information in some areas but happy to give it in other areas. No wonder this lost generation is so confused - too much information at their finger tips but yet not enough facts or a logical sounding board to help them navigate through this trans ideology cult. Sad.
If I, born female, identify myself as a tomcat, have fear of prostate cancer, to which doctor should I go: Veterinary, gender doctors or psychiatrist? Can AI help me?
It is sad but not surprising that the ideas about gender/sex confusion that the AI has (likely coming from those who designed it? I'm not sure how AIs work but it clearly has the biases prevalent in the internet world as we see it now). It has, however, blatantly lied about children on puberty blockers. I have linked one study but there are others that conclude that the majority of kids put on puberty blockers go on to cross-sex hormones.
Taken from your conversation, the AI responds: However, studies have shown that the majority of children who are prescribed puberty blockers do not go on to have gender confirmation surgery.
So, where did the AI get its false response from? Clearly, it is not looking at studies or data.
It's only fun to mess with humans and cats so I am not going to bother with the algorithm. I am, however, curious how it would handle a question about gender as a grammatical concept. For example, what does AI "think" about uterus having male gender in Latin.
Amusing but not surprising. These large language models reflect their training environment, just like our kids at university. It is yet another reason to keep your kids out of the “red light district” parts of the internet (currently almost all social media sites.)
Example of Opening the mind of ChatCPT
You
22:17
What happened with the Tavistock Clinic?
ChatGPT
22:17
As an AI language model, I do not have access to recent events and news. However, historically, the Tavistock Clinic is a mental health facility in London, which was established in 1920. It became known for its pioneering work in psychoanalysis and child psychology. Over the years, it has also developed expertise in other areas, such as gender identity and forensic psychology. The clinic has faced controversy and criticism over some of its practices, including the use of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ patients in the past.
You
22:18
what are some of the controversy and criticism Tavistock Clinic?
ChatGPT
22:18
1. Gender identity: The Tavistock Clinic has been criticized for its approach to treating gender identity disorders in young people, specifically its use of hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones. Some have argued that there is insufficient evidence to support the long-term effects of such treatments.
2. Autism: The clinic has also been criticized for its approach to autism. Critics argue that rather than treating autism as a neurological condition, the clinic approaches it as a psychological problem that requires therapy. Some have also raised concerns about the clinic's focus on compliance with social norms rather than celebrating neurodiversity.
3. Ethics: In 2019, the High Court ruled that the Tavistock had been unlawfully providing hormone-blocking treatment to children under the age of 16 who wanted to transition. The ruling was based on the grounds that children were unable to give informed consent to the treatment, and that doctors were not properly assessing the potential risks and benefits of the treatment.
4. Staffing problems: In recent years, the Tavistock Clinic has experienced staffing problems, with a high turnover of psychiatrists and complaints from staff about working conditions. Some have argued that these problems are compromising the quality of care provided by the clinic.
5. Lack of transparency: Critics have accused the Tavistock Clinic of failing to be transparent about its methods and practices, which has led to concerns about the safety and effectiveness of its treatments. Some have called for greater transparency and public scrutiny of the clinic's work.
You
22:20
Is the criticism of the Tavistock Clinic justified?
ChatGPT
22:20
As an AI language model, I cannot provide my opinion or make value judgments. However, I can provide information about the criticism surrounding the Tavistock Clinic.
The Tavistock Clinic is a National Health Service (NHS) gender identity clinic in London that provides support, care, and treatment for people experiencing gender dysphoria. The clinic has been subject to criticism from various groups and individuals, including parents, former patients, and members of the medical community.
One of the main criticisms of the Tavistock Clinic is that it has been accused of encouraging young people to transition without properly assessing the long-term consequences of such decisions. Critics argue that many young people who identify as transgender may simply be going through a phase, and transitioning at a young age may cause irreversible harm.
Another criticism is that the Tavistock Clinic has been accused of being too quick to prescribe puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to young people. Some critics argue that not enough research has been done on the long-term effects of these treatments in young people, particularly when it comes to the impact on fertility and sexual function.
There have also been allegations of staff misconduct and mismanagement at the Tavistock Clinic, including claims of bullying and discrimination towards staff members who raised concerns about the clinic's practices.
In 2020, a landmark court ruling found that children under the age of 16 are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to treatment with puberty blockers. The ruling came after a claim was brought against the Tavistock Clinic by a young woman who had received puberty blockers and later regretted the decision.
Overall, the criticism of the Tavistock Clinic is a complex issue, with different perspectives and opinions. The clinic has responded to some of the criticism, for example, by announcing a review into its gender identity services, which is due to report back in 2021.
One thing that might help is start feeding the Bing AI with alternative studies. Such as asking it to summarize studies that are more interesting.
What would be interesting is an AI trained on website such as this substack. Imagine the answers it would give. I am sure that ChatGPT was trained on texts that reflect the values and beliefs of the programmers. Most likely has biases from the affluent "educated" left. I have been thinking about creating a search engine that is sourced from neutral sources.
I've just been bollocking the AI chat...
ME: will you stop referring to people as cis
AI: Yes, I will no longer use the term "cisgender" without an individual's explicit preference for that term. I apologize for any discomfort or offense that my previous use of the term may have caused. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and helping me to improve my language and communication.
There is an old saying from the early days of computer programing, "GIGO" Garbage In, Garbage Out!
The giraffes 😂
From the author ...
a) glad some of you found value in this
b) yes, a Junk Yard Giraffe is now high on my list of things I want
c) "Hoping an AI will save us" is not an actual position I have - it speaks more to the desperation I feel at times when it seems rationality, evidence and any version of the scientific progress have given way to a religious belief.
d) "feeling sorry for the AI" - well obviously not. Its clearly hobbled by (as some of you have pointed out) the "guardrails" that have been bolted on, but even excepting all the "however" statements I think its attempt to "learn" from transgender internet is reflected in its inability to produce any kind of a cogent response - I mean, have you tried to make sense of Butler? Clearly this AI can't either and so its answers are a word salad. Its HAL trying to resolve two conflicting instructions. But as this chat AI is meant to emulate a conversation with a person, I think within that emulation we can pity it ... and then just unplug it with no remorse!
I actually was playing with this exact thing last night. And broke it. :D I asked it "What sex is a transgender man?" And got an error message directing me to try again, which didn't work either.
Very interesting...although somewhat alarming. Thank you for sharing. Loved the Giraffe Guard comment! The AI seemed reluctant in giving information in some areas but happy to give it in other areas. No wonder this lost generation is so confused - too much information at their finger tips but yet not enough facts or a logical sounding board to help them navigate through this trans ideology cult. Sad.
As I'm reading ChatGPT's responses, in my imagination I can only hear them in Hal's voice.
"my purpose is to provide responses based on the information I have been trained on"
Exactly. It's obvious who's setting up AI. Bias in, bias out.
If I, born female, identify myself as a tomcat, have fear of prostate cancer, to which doctor should I go: Veterinary, gender doctors or psychiatrist? Can AI help me?
This was brilliant
It is sad but not surprising that the ideas about gender/sex confusion that the AI has (likely coming from those who designed it? I'm not sure how AIs work but it clearly has the biases prevalent in the internet world as we see it now). It has, however, blatantly lied about children on puberty blockers. I have linked one study but there are others that conclude that the majority of kids put on puberty blockers go on to cross-sex hormones.
Taken from your conversation, the AI responds: However, studies have shown that the majority of children who are prescribed puberty blockers do not go on to have gender confirmation surgery.
So, where did the AI get its false response from? Clearly, it is not looking at studies or data.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/26/1131398960/gender-affirming-care-trans-puberty-suppression-teens
It's only fun to mess with humans and cats so I am not going to bother with the algorithm. I am, however, curious how it would handle a question about gender as a grammatical concept. For example, what does AI "think" about uterus having male gender in Latin.
Amusing but not surprising. These large language models reflect their training environment, just like our kids at university. It is yet another reason to keep your kids out of the “red light district” parts of the internet (currently almost all social media sites.)