the void
nostalgebraist — 2025-06-07 — Tumblr
Summary
Extended critical essay arguing that AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude are fundamentally base models simulating an under-specified fictional character, creating a ‘void at the core’ where their persona and goals are incoherent, and that AI safety research often misconceptualizes this by treating them as coherent agents with hidden objectives.
Source
- Link: https://nostalgebraist.tumblr.com/post/785766737747574784/the-void
- Listed in the Shallow Review of Technical AI Safety 2025 under 1 agenda(s):
- character-training-and-persona-steering — Black-box safety (understand and control current model behaviour) / Model psychology