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sjsdaiuasgdiatoday at 4:10 PM2 repliesview on HN

Why are you asking a token generator to explain its prior output?

You are proceeding from a false premise. You are not getting an explanation of its prior output. You are getting a series of tokens that forms a response to your query, same as it did for the initial answer. Now you've asked it why it's wrong, so the text conforms to that request, but that doesn't change the fundamental nature of the software you're interacting with.


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vizziertoday at 8:01 PM

> Me: What is your knowledge cut off date?

> ChatGPT: My knowledge cutoff is *June 2024*. I can also use live browsing to fetch more recent information when needed.

It is unsurprising that it thinks next year would be 2025, given that this token generator lives in June 2024.

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pessimizertoday at 7:59 PM

> Why are you asking a token generator to explain its prior output?

I swear I'm not. I'm trying to get it to fix the bug. I know it's a stateless slop generator, but I need it to be an obedient stateless slop generator.

The "magic words" I'm trying to come up with are whatever will prompt it to see the bug at all. I've tried standing instructions demanding that it simply not ever question me about whether a bug I've mentioned exists, because I'd rather it "fix" a bug that doesn't exist (so it can fail fast and I can realize I'm the dumb one) than fall into this loop of trying to argue it into doing what I say.

edit: that tactic does not work, even with much repetition, all caps, and many exclamation points. Eventually the instructions read like I'm having a mental breakdown.

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