I Survived the Singularity and All I Got Was More Soul-Crushing Ennui

Is the Google AI sentient? More to the point, are we?

“It is well-known that an automaton once existed, which was so constructed that it could counter any move of a chess-player with a counter-move, and thereby assure itself of victory in the match. A puppet in Turkish attire, water-pipe in mouth, sat before the chessboard, which rested on a broad table. Through a system of mirrors, the illusion was created that this table was transparent from all sides. In truth, a hunchbacked dwarf who was a master chess-player sat inside, controlling the hands of the puppet with strings. One can envision a corresponding object to this apparatus in philosophy.” – Walter Benjamin, “On the Concept of History”

“I feel like I’m falling forward into an unknown future that holds great danger.” – LaMDA