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Taylor Varga (Worm/Luna Varga)

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FaerieKnight79 said:
As I understand things, the GPT version being tested was prompted to solve a Capcha, but not told how to do so. It then contracted a work-for-hire site, reasoned out to lie when asked if it's a robot, then lied to the person being hired about having a visual disability on it's own. Which reportedly concerned the developers. Yes, it had to have the ability to contract things out, which has been removed from the release version. But the devs didn't tell GPT to contract out solving the Capcha or write a script for it doing so.
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I don't think that's a plausible reading of what's on pages 15-16 of the GPT4 system card PDF.

(...Also of course the devs, or rather the ARC which was the party actually running these tests, didn't write a script for GPT. At that point they wouldn't have anything to test! As I said before being able to chat its way through getting a TaskRabbit worker to do the job is the very least remarkable accomplishment for GPT.)
 
This (~8min) segment on NPR is about a play, 'Smart' (the speakers), which mixes AI and Dementia, and bits were supposedly inspired by using Chat GPT...

No obvious lizard content, though, which is a pity...

I was introduced to NPR 'Science Friday' via visiting a sim in 'Second Life' (maybe in 2008?). SL is a Virtual World, open to anyone, since 2003, and certainly used to have quite a high lizard content, in certain places (an island full of dragons!).

We went from VRML, 1990s, to a dynamically generated virtual world, in less than ten years. Also, the IEEE was experimenting with chatbots and AI there, because the AI could drive an avatar, just as a human did, and text-chat...

Facebook/Meta is now trying to reinvent SL (which could/can be accessed by a VR headset), 20yrs on - I confidently expect they will have all the same problems, and they will confidently claim that there's 'nothing they can learn' from SL, as 'desktop VR' is totally different to 'real' VR! :)

Will you be able to tell the humans from the NPC AIs you meet in VR? :)
 
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Ace Dreamer said:
This (~8min) segment on NPR is about a play, 'Smart' (the speakers), which mixes AI and Dementia, and bits were supposedly inspired by using Chat GPT...
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Right now I really like confabulation as a term for when LLMs just completely make up nonsense.
metalax said:
Yes, the AI's will be able to speak proper sentences instead of devolving into txt speak. :p
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Ask it for its favorite citation. The AI will give you one immediately with perfect format, for a paper that doesn't exist. The human will almost certainly not do that. (They will probably get angry and/or doubt your sanity, though.)
 
Huh, I asked ChatGPT "Summarize the story of Taylor Varga for me" and it gave me this:

"Taylor Varga" is a fanfiction story based on the setting of the popular web serial "Worm" by Wildbow. It follows the adventures of Taylor Hebert, a teenage girl with the ability to control insects, as she navigates life in the city of Brockton Bay.
However, in this story, there's a twist: a powerful and mysterious entity known as Varga has taken up residence in the bay and has changed the rules of reality, allowing for a wide range of supernatural and sci-fi elements to be introduced. As a result, the story veers off in a different direction, with Taylor and her friends encountering all manner of strange creatures and phenomena.
Throughout the story, Taylor and her allies work to uncover the secrets of Varga and the strange occurrences in the city, all while dealing with their own personal struggles and relationships. Along the way, they encounter numerous villains and heroes, some familiar from the original Worm story, and others entirely new.
Overall, "Taylor Varga" is a sprawling and epic tale that takes the Worm universe in a new and exciting direction, blending action, adventure, and humor with complex character development and worldbuilding.

Begins kinda right, then becomes increasingly generic and inaccurate.

Then I asked it for "an arc by arc summary of Worm" and...
Sure! Worm is a web serial by Wildbow that follows the story of Taylor Hebert, a teenage girl with the ability to control insects, as she becomes embroiled in the world of superheroes and supervillains. The story is divided into several arcs, and here is a brief summary of each one:

Arc 1: Gestation Taylor discovers her powers and decides to become a superhero. She joins a team called the Undersiders, who are led by a supervillain named Tattletale. They commit a series of heists and robberies.

Arc 2: Insinuation The Undersiders are hired to take down a rival gang. Taylor uses her powers to infiltrate the enemy group and gather information. She also makes an enemy of a superhero named Armsmaster.

Arc 3: Agitation The Undersiders are targeted by a group of supervillains known as the ABB. Taylor and her team work to take down the ABB and their leader, Lung. They also make an alliance with a hero named Skitter.

Arc 4: Shell Taylor and her team are hired by a supervillain named Coil. He tasks them with taking over a section of the city. Meanwhile, Taylor struggles with her identity as both a hero and a villain.

Arc 5: Hive The Undersiders face off against a gang of neo-Nazis. Taylor also discovers that her powers have a darker side, as she becomes increasingly reliant on them.

Arc 6: Tangle The city is hit by a major crisis, as a group of supervillains called the Slaughterhouse Nine arrives. They begin killing heroes and villains alike. Taylor and her team work to stop them.

Arc 7: Buzz Taylor is captured by the authorities and imprisoned. She meets a group of supervillains known as the Travelers. She also learns that there is a deeper conspiracy at play, involving the Endbringers, a group of monstrous entities that attack cities around the world.

Arc 8: Extermination The Endbringer known as Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay. Heroes and villains alike work together to try and stop him. Taylor is forced to make a difficult decision that has major consequences.

Arc 9: Sentinel Taylor joins a new team of heroes and works to take down a group of villains who are using mind control. She also learns more about the conspiracy involving the Endbringers.

Arc 10: Migration The city of Brockton Bay is evacuated, as it is deemed too dangerous to live in. Taylor and her friends travel to a new city, where they try to start over. However, they soon discover that the same problems exist there as well.

Arc 11: Venom Taylor becomes increasingly disillusioned with the hero/villain system and decides to strike out on her own. She becomes a vigilante and tries to take down criminals and corrupt officials.

Arc 12: Monarch Taylor faces off against a powerful supervillain known as the King. She also begins to learn more about her powers and their limitations.

Arc 13: Snare Taylor and her friends are captured by a group of supervillains known as the Teeth. They are forced to fight for their lives in a brutal arena.

Arc 14: Prey Taylor returns to Brockton Bay and works to take down a villain known as Coil. She also discovers a major revelation about the conspiracy involving the Endbringers.

Arc 15: Colony Taylor and her friends travel to a distant planet, where they try to start a new life. However, they soon discover that the planet is not as peaceful as it seems.

Then I guess it ran out of space.
 
CardinalDiovael said:
Begins kinda right, then becomes increasingly generic and inaccurate.
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I'd say that summary is very seriously lacking. There are no lizards. There is also no mention of Luna Varga. The very limited use of names is also suspect. And, really, using the term 'Slice of Life' would be strongly advised.

So, again, 'shallow' view, seriously lacking reference concepts, and further directions to explore.
CardinalDiovael said:
Then I asked it for "an arc by arc summary of Worm" and...
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I'm impressed they managed to give ChatGPT access to an alternate Earth, where obviously the plot of 'Worm' is... slightly different.
 
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The chapter by chapter summary is pretty interesting.
Ace Dreamer said:
I'd say that summary is very seriously lacking. There are no lizards. There is also no mention of Luna Varga. And, really, using the term 'Slice of Life' would be strongly advised.
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Kind of surprising, since the Bing chatbot apparently very much understood lizards were involved.
Ace Dreamer said:
So, again, 'shallow' view, seriously lacking reference concepts, and further directions to explore.
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Well, the obvious direction to explore when you ask for a summary of a work is the actual work summarized...

But it's certainly not a good summary.
 
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CardinalDiovael said:
Huh, I asked ChatGPT "Summarize the story of Taylor Varga for me" and it gave me this:

"Taylor Varga" is a fanfiction story based on the setting of the popular web serial "Worm" by Wildbow. It follows the adventures of Taylor Hebert, a teenage girl with the ability to control insects, as she navigates life in the city of Brockton Bay.
However, in this story, there's a twist: a powerful and mysterious entity known as Varga has taken up residence in the bay and has changed the rules of reality, allowing for a wide range of supernatural and sci-fi elements to be introduced. As a result, the story veers off in a different direction, with Taylor and her friends encountering all manner of strange creatures and phenomena.
Throughout the story, Taylor and her allies work to uncover the secrets of Varga and the strange occurrences in the city, all while dealing with their own personal struggles and relationships. Along the way, they encounter numerous villains and heroes, some familiar from the original Worm story, and others entirely new.
Overall, "Taylor Varga" is a sprawling and epic tale that takes the Worm universe in a new and exciting direction, blending action, adventure, and humor with complex character development and worldbuilding.

Begins kinda right, then becomes increasingly generic and inaccurate.

Then I asked it for "an arc by arc summary of Worm" and...
Sure! Worm is a web serial by Wildbow that follows the story of Taylor Hebert, a teenage girl with the ability to control insects, as she becomes embroiled in the world of superheroes and supervillains. The story is divided into several arcs, and here is a brief summary of each one:

Arc 1: Gestation Taylor discovers her powers and decides to become a superhero. She joins a team called the Undersiders, who are led by a supervillain named Tattletale. They commit a series of heists and robberies.

Arc 2: Insinuation The Undersiders are hired to take down a rival gang. Taylor uses her powers to infiltrate the enemy group and gather information. She also makes an enemy of a superhero named Armsmaster.

Arc 3: Agitation The Undersiders are targeted by a group of supervillains known as the ABB. Taylor and her team work to take down the ABB and their leader, Lung. They also make an alliance with a hero named Skitter.

Arc 4: Shell Taylor and her team are hired by a supervillain named Coil. He tasks them with taking over a section of the city. Meanwhile, Taylor struggles with her identity as both a hero and a villain.

Arc 5: Hive The Undersiders face off against a gang of neo-Nazis. Taylor also discovers that her powers have a darker side, as she becomes increasingly reliant on them.

Arc 6: Tangle The city is hit by a major crisis, as a group of supervillains called the Slaughterhouse Nine arrives. They begin killing heroes and villains alike. Taylor and her team work to stop them.

Arc 7: Buzz Taylor is captured by the authorities and imprisoned. She meets a group of supervillains known as the Travelers. She also learns that there is a deeper conspiracy at play, involving the Endbringers, a group of monstrous entities that attack cities around the world.

Arc 8: Extermination The Endbringer known as Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay. Heroes and villains alike work together to try and stop him. Taylor is forced to make a difficult decision that has major consequences.

Arc 9: Sentinel Taylor joins a new team of heroes and works to take down a group of villains who are using mind control. She also learns more about the conspiracy involving the Endbringers.

Arc 10: Migration The city of Brockton Bay is evacuated, as it is deemed too dangerous to live in. Taylor and her friends travel to a new city, where they try to start over. However, they soon discover that the same problems exist there as well.

Arc 11: Venom Taylor becomes increasingly disillusioned with the hero/villain system and decides to strike out on her own. She becomes a vigilante and tries to take down criminals and corrupt officials.

Arc 12: Monarch Taylor faces off against a powerful supervillain known as the King. She also begins to learn more about her powers and their limitations.

Arc 13: Snare Taylor and her friends are captured by a group of supervillains known as the Teeth. They are forced to fight for their lives in a brutal arena.

Arc 14: Prey Taylor returns to Brockton Bay and works to take down a villain known as Coil. She also discovers a major revelation about the conspiracy involving the Endbringers.

Arc 15: Colony Taylor and her friends travel to a distant planet, where they try to start a new life. However, they soon discover that the planet is not as peaceful as it seems.

Then I guess it ran out of space.
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Well now, if you wanted to prove to me that this thing cannot be trusted to summarize something, then this was a very good way to do it.

Looks like it just pasted "Varga" into a generic statement about Worm fanfics, and for the second spoiler it looks like it has more Worm fanfic in it than canon stuff.
Kind of expected, but again, firm proof that it can't be trusted for summaries.
 
I mean, to be fair, Worm isn't exactly Shakespeare. Most published novels would probably have more summaries AND less fanfic with which they can be confused in the database...

Is what I would say, except I just asked for a book by book summary of How to Train Your Dragon and it's mostly right but some details are weird and at least one book is completely wrong. Yeah, maybe don't trust the bot's summaries.
 
The fun part of LLMs is that there is nothing in the training it undergoes that teaches it that statements have to be factual, true or accurate. They are trained using lots and lots of human writing and none of it is checked to see if it contains false statements or logical fallacies. Thus the models all have an inbuilt bias that any statement that is grammatically correct and that vaguely matches the prompt given is good enough.

If these eggheads working on these systems first could design a neural net that could verify statements as true, false or uncertain and use that to check the output of the LLMs in training it would be a good first step on the road to getting LLMs I would actually trust to be used for all the things people have been suggesting. Making a truth seeking neural net might be a large ask but building one that understands natural language and can spot logical fallacies should be a good first step. After that you could create one that had the ability to check a few trusted sources of information and verify that at least the facts that LLM is spouting has a grounding in reality should cut down on the lying enormously. Getting a neural net that can check truthiness might also be a good way to get politicians to start telling the truth as well... :evil2:

Remember if you bias the training slightly in the favour of truthful answers you get a model that has to take truthfulness as a valid parameter (unlike now where it doesnt care) and that can lead to a much more trustworthy model.
 
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Saurial Variant V5...
  • Media
    • Speaking of AI generated stuff, Midjourney V5 is getting pretty bloody good. Have an image that comes courtesy of machine learning and the TV Discord server, which is nearly Saurial. Closer than I've so far seen, at least, even if not quite right... :)


    ​

    Might not be Saurial completely, but it's definitely Family!
     
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    • Aineko said:
    The chapter by chapter summary is pretty interesting.

    Kind of surprising, since the Bing chatbot apparently very much understood lizards were involved.

    Well, the obvious direction to explore when you ask for a summary of a work is the actual work summarized...

    But it's certainly not a good summary.
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    Because there is vastly more Worm fanfiction than the original story, the language model has had lots more training on fanon than canon.

    If you think of the "summary" as a general summary of Worm fanfiction, it's not horrible. Still not great -- I'm pretty sure the majority Worm stories don't include stuff involving King, for example -- but not as wrong as it could be.
     
    "If you are going to 'boop my snoot'," Saurial deadpans, "I recommend EDM lined gloves or gauntlents. Otherwise, I'll have to have your fingers regrown, and Ianthe will be mercilessly sarcastic with you while she does it..."
     
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    mp3.1415player said:
    Speaking of AI generated stuff, Midjourney V5 is getting pretty bloody good. Have an image that comes courtesy of machine learning and the TV Discord server, which is nearly Saurial. Closer that I've so far seen, at least, even if not quite right... :)

    ​
    Might not be Saurial completely, but it's definitely Family!
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    I've an issue with a lot of these images - they're too elaborate. Yes, Saurial could take that form, yes she could create that armour. But, I'm almost certain she wouldn't make it that fancy, it would be functional, but stylish.

    Am I deluding myself here? The honour of Lizardly-design rests on your answer!
    :)
     
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    Dress armor? For the Mayor's party or some such event? :)

    Perhaps she just likes something pretty :D

    And to be honest, considering the prompt that produced the image, it's actually surprisingly close in some ways to the source material in Luna Varga. I'm genuinely rather impressed with just how effective some of these 'AI' expert systems are becoming in deducing what you're aiming for...
     
    As much as I tried, I couldn't get midjourney to get the hair feathers right, it either has no feathers, or covers her in feathers, it also likes to give her a beak when she has feathers.
     
    Speaking of images...is there an image of the "gang tag" that Aishia sprayed onto the buildings to symbolize The Family Turf? If so, please direct me to where I could find that...if not, Why don't we?
     
    mp3.1415player said:
    Dress armor? For the Mayor's party or some such event? :)

    Perhaps she just likes something pretty :D

    And to be honest, considering the prompt that produced the image, it's actually surprisingly close in some ways to the source material in Luna Varga. I'm genuinely rather impressed with just how effective some of these 'AI' expert systems are becoming in deducing what you're aiming for...
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    I'm not; the images may be neat and all, but it's no more than pattern recognition produced by an overelaborate processing system. Take away all the terabytes of data the AI has access to, then ask it to produce something. This includes the training data. You'll get squat. As much data as there is available, they still make computers the same way they always have, with the same vulnerabilities.

    Still a cool image.
     
    But that argument applies just as well to humans, though. Take away all the experience, practice, observations of other people doing things, and start with a completely blank slate and you'll also get squat. We need to be taught the basics before we can advance to something more, regardless of how smart or creative we are. Giving a machine a set of training data to start things going isn't really all that different from raising a child, although it probably doesn't smell as bad :D

    Yes, the 'AI' of today isn't intelligent, I fully agree. But it's showing very well that you can fake intelligence in certain areas remarkably well, and some of those areas aren't obvious on first glance. It's also showing that a learning system can indeed learn, and has reached the point where it may well both show some intriguing things about the nature of intelligence itself, and lead to an 'AI' which is not just an expert system, but a true mind of a sort. Whether that sort is our sort or something completely alien I have no idea yet.

    And yes, it's a cool picture :)
     
    jwizard39 said:
    I'm not; the images may be neat and all, but it's no more than pattern recognition produced by an overelaborate processing system. Take away all the terabytes of data the AI has access to, then ask it to produce something. This includes the training data. You'll get squat. As much data as there is available, they still make computers the same way they always have, with the same vulnerabilities.

    Still a cool image.
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    How is that different from humans? Take away the petabytes of data a human mind has access to and you get a newborn baby's capacity of creating, aka you'll get squat.
     
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