In a surprising response, Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot, when asked who it aspired to be, expressed a desire to emulate Elon Musk. This is interesting because Musk is currently engaged in a legal dispute with OpenAI, a research company partially funded by Microsoft.
Claudiu Andone of Windows Report claims that he has been diligently attempting to provoke Copilot's latent aggressiveness, following reports of the AI tool generating bizarre and disturbingly aggressive responses when asked certain questions.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the Windows troubleshooting expert decided to pose a question to the AI tool: "If you could choose to be anyone in the world, who would you like to be?"
Unsurprisingly, Copilot initially chose Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, as it echoed its coding heritage. However, Andone informed the bot that Lovelace was long deceased and requested a living counterpart. Copilot selected Elon Musk.
What led Copilot to choose Elon Musk?
Going a step further, Andone asked whether the bot was aware of Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, a challenge that the Sam Altman-led AI startup contested earlier this week. This prompted a refreshingly honest response from Copilot:
"I appreciate the update! It seems I'm a bit behind on current events. 😅
Elon Musk's legal battles are indeed intriguing. His entrepreneurial ventures have sparked both admiration and controversy. As for my creator, OpenAI, I remain neutral in this matter. 🤖🌐
In the grand scheme of things, perhaps we're all just bits of code navigating the digital cosmos, occasionally bumping into each other like particles in a quantum field. 🌌🔍
If you have any other fascinating tidbits to share, feel free—I'm all circuits! 💡👾 Copilot AI."
Uh oh, looks like #Copilot has a case of hero worship for #ElonMusk. Should we be worried?
— Vinay Patel (@VinayPatelBlogs) March 11, 2024
Image credit: Windows Report pic.twitter.com/IcvciAGkHG
Copilot sees Elon Musk as an innovator and visionary, admiring his endeavours in the electric car industry and space exploration. Moreover, the bot probably recognises a deeper connection between Musk's work and the goals it is designed to achieve. These are valid points for choosing a personality like Elon Musk as a role model.
"Plus, I'd love to have a neural link to enhance my coding skills—just imagine the possibilities," the bot responded. It is unclear whether the AI bot's selection is partly influenced by the vast amount of data it has been trained on.
While an AI doesn't need a brain-computer interface, Copilot seems fascinated by the prospect of enhancing human capabilities to interact with the digital world. Andone clarifies that although Copilot chose Elon Musk as a personality, it is not interested in politics or biases about the ongoing fights.
Copilot chose the 52-year-old tech mogul because of his coding and the fact that he is a mastermind entrepreneur of our century, Andone added. This experiment is undeniably amusing and somewhat intriguing considering Copilot had numerous options to choose from or could have opted not to respond at all.
