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I’m not sure whether I’m more impressed by the technical proficiency of the software developers behind ChatGPT — or if I’m more alarmed by the dystopian future that I see such software leading to.

What we call “artificial intelligence” is nothing but software. It isn’t intelligent. It has no consciousness. It has no actual awareness or understanding of what it produces. It’s just lines of computer code written to produce material that mimics human behavior. If you think of AI as some form of semi-consciousness, you’re buying into science fiction. This is nothing but software written by clever people — and it’s nowhere near as “smart” as you’ve been led to believe.

But AI software — such as ChatGPT and its competitors — is getting better and better at spitting out content that mimics what a human might have created with real thought. And I think this is dangerous.

As an experiment, I asked ChatGPT to create an essay in my own writing style. I didn’t give it a subject. This is the only instructions I gave the software: “Write an 800-word essay in the same style used by the writer of davidmcelroy.org.”

The results shocked me.

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I knew I was dead, but I wasn’t upset about that. I just felt shame that I didn’t have more to show for the life I had left behind.

This was different from any dream I’ve ever had. It felt more real than anything from waking life. At times, it was more beautiful and loving than anything I’ve experienced on this Earth. At other times, it was painful and I felt shame.

But I was asleep — and I’m not dead — so it had to be a dream.

This was the second time lately that I’ve dreamed about my death. The first time, I just dreamed that I had died. I saw my body as though I was a spirit who had left it. But the second time — this past Saturday night — was much more than that. It was a dream about meeting God and talking about the life I had left behind.

I was in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, but I can’t describe it. The scene was dominated, though, by an intense light that was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was brighter than any light I’ve experienced, but it didn’t hurt my eyes to look at it.

From that light, I felt what 19th century minister Charles Finney called “waves and waves of liquid love.” I felt small. I felt ashamed of my inadequacy. But I knew that this Creator of all the universe loved me unconditionally. I knew that this place was my home.

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Donald Trump is so shamelessly corrupt that he’s not even trying to hide the corruption anymore. And his adoring followers worship him so much that they accept whatever outrage he pretends is normal.

Trump is evil and corrupt, but those followers who enable this evil and corruption are downright obscene. You know who you are.

No U.S. president has ever been brazen enough to openly accept a bribe worth nearly half a billion dollars, but that’s what Trump is doing. And he’s even bragging that the bribe is coming at no cost to taxpayers. What a deal, huh?

Trump announced Sunday night that shady Middle Eastern oil billionaires are giving him his very own Boeing 747. Isn’t that kind of them? They must be really kind-hearted to hand out luxury jetliners without expecting anything in return. And that’s what Trump and his kleptocrats expect you to believe. Are you that stupid?

Here’s the scam. The government of Qatar — a tiny old kingdom run by corrupt oil billionaires — is going to give this luxury airliners to the U.S. government for Trump to use as Air Force One. At the end of his term, this fancy plane will be transferred to the foundation for Trump’s future presidential library — so Trump will continue to have exclusive use of it.

Seriously. That’s the deal. And if you think they expect nothing for this, you’re an idiot.

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