I demoed the Loop (ironically, by tagging along for a DGA volunteer meeting) a while ago and couldn't get into it. Everything's just about right but then a Grandparent mentions the new NBA game when they were never previously into basketball (at least according to their profile) or says they're voting for X political candidate when they were a fervent supporter of the opposing party. It feels like advertising.<p>FWIW a cousin who's more paranoid about AI than I am talks to a deceased relative through the Loop and says it's great.
<i>“Real motive problem, with an AI. Not human, see?”<p>“Well, yeah, obviously.”<p>“Nope. I mean, it’s not human. And you can’t get a handle on it. Me, I’m not human either, but I respond like one. See?”<p>“Wait a sec,” Case said. “Are you sentient, or not?”<p>“Well, it feels like I am, kid, but I’m really just a bunch of ROM. It’s one of them, ah, philosophical questions, I guess...” The ugly laughter sensation rattled down Case’s spine. “But I ain’t likely to write you no poem, if you follow me. Your AI, it just might. But it ain’t no way human.”</i>
It's left me a bit shaken how believable this is. When I saw this pop up and read it with no comments, it didn't surprise me that someone would try to keep a grandparent alive in simulation, or at least <i>believe</i> they could.
Soon with something like gpt-6 and deepfakes, something like this will be possible. Avatar immortality, not you but something like you. Question is, when it becomes hard to tell the difference, what's the difference?