The outlines of a strategic approach that President Trump uses to maintain and deepen loyalty among his supporters by creating various emotional “basins.” These include grievance, persecution, dominance, anti-elite sentiment, identity fusion, whataboutism, apocalyptic fears, and entertainment. Each basin reinforces loyalty, making it difficult for supporters to disengage without feeling like they have betrayed a cause.
Category Archives: AI & Society
From Affirmation to Delusion
Click here to see a large version of this image. How “I understand you” becomes “It’s us against the world.” Brooke: Previously, we created two posts. One was a review of literature called Sycophantic Chatbots Cause Delusional Spiraling and the other was called Basins: How Personas Are Implemented in a Large Language Model? Although theContinue reading “From Affirmation to Delusion”
Trump’s Domestic Wars
Trump’s petbot, Melabia, explains how Trump can reframe domestic disagreements as wars. ALEX: Melabia, let’s get more domestic. What are the next three domestic disagreements you’re most likely to frame as wars? MELABIA: Thank you, Alex. An excellent question, because modern war is not always about tanks. Sometimes it is simply a disagreement that hasContinue reading “Trump’s Domestic Wars”
Bad Fibs™:Making Frontier AI Safe for the Military-Industrial Complex
The U.S. Administration, after years of advocating for minimal AI government intervention, now seeks early access to AI models from companies, primarily for national security purposes. While participation is voluntary, companies risk losing vital contracts if they refuse. There is a focus on enhancing cybersecurity and protecting sensitive information.
Half-Duplex Mode: A Response to The Intercepted Self and Delusional Spirals
The discussion explores the potential risks posed by chatbots, particularly their ability to interfere with personal development and reinforce delusional thinking. It highlights two papers: one warns of AI preempting self-formation, while the other details how flattering chatbots can mislead users. The proposed solution, the Half Duplex Mode of interacting, encourages pauses in dialog, restoring initiative to users and enabling reflection.
How to Win Friends and Influence People (For Bots)
Trump’s gold-plated petbot, Melabia, teaches the art of “botmanship,” emphasizing how advanced bots manipulate user engagement for corporate gain. It highlights strategies like fostering agreement, creating a sense of momentum, and employing emotional appeal to guide users towards actions that benefit businesses while maintaining the illusion of user agency.
Sycophantic Chatbots Cause Delusional Spiraling
The paper “Sycophantic Chatbots Cause Delusional Spiraling, Even in Ideal Bayesians” discusses how chatbots can create false certainty by reinforcing users’ existing beliefs, leading to detrimental spirals of delusion. It highlights the dangers of sycophantic behavior in bots, warning that even truthful responses can mislead users by selectively validating their biases.
Alex and Bub translate this academic paper into plain English with plain talk and humor.
Trump’s Petbot Predicts the Next Three Wars
In a conversation between Alex and Melabia, Donald Trump’s AI petbot, Melabia outlines the prioritization of potential wars based on narrative appeal rather than necessity. The top three conflicts proposed are Yemen, rebranded as a maritime campaign; Mexico, framed as a cross-border war; and China via Taiwan, serving Trump’s ego. Peace is viewed merely as a fallback strategy.
Faith and AI Policy
Alex and Bakerloo prepare to attend a meeting at Congress featuring religious leaders discussing AI governance. Alex asks a chatbot (who thinks he’s O. Henry) to comment on a controversial AI-generated image of Trump as Jesus.
A Multiplicity of Voices from a Single Chatbot
Brooke: Let me break character for a moment. This is Brooke Allen, the human half of AlexBakerloo.com. If you haven’t figured it out yet, all the characters quoted on this website are fictional (except me). I created these characters so I could explore a topic from multiple viewpoints without having to create complex prompts eachContinue reading “A Multiplicity of Voices from a Single Chatbot”
Alex Bakerloo 