“Can GPT-3 Produce New Ideas? Partially Automating Robin Hanson and Others § If You Never Miss a Plane…”, Nuño Sempere2023-01-11 (GPT-3 nonfiction, decision theory)⁠:

I asked a language model to replicate a few patterns of generating insight that humanity hasn’t really exploited much yet, such as:

1. Variations on “if you never miss a plane, you’ve been spending too much time at the airport”. [cf. GPT-3 Umeshisms, & mine]

2. Variations on the Robin Hanson argument of “for common human behavior X, its usual purported justification is Y, but it usually results in more Z than Y. If we cared about Y, we might do A instead”.

3. Variations on the genealogical argument: that the results of historical accidents are most likely not moral necessities or optimal systems.

…Input to Chat-GPT:

Consider the refrain “if you’ve never missed a plane, you are spending too much time at the airport”. An argument with the same structure might be “if you haven’t committed a typo, you are typing too slowly”. Give me 20 other insightful examples with a similar argument structure.

Output:

If you’ve never overcooked a meal, you’re not experimenting enough in the kitchen. / If you’ve never gotten lost while traveling, you’re not exploring enough. / If you’ve never had a disagreement with a friend, you’re not expressing your opinions honestly. / If you’ve never had a flat tire, you’re not driving enough. / If you’ve never made a mistake at work, you’re not taking enough risks. / If you’ve never had a bad hair day, you’re not trying new hairstyles. / If you’ve never received a speeding ticket, you’re not driving fast enough. / If you’ve never forgotten an important date, you’re not committing enough information to memory. / If you’ve never stubbed your toe, you’re not moving fast enough. / If you’ve never had a nightmare, you’re not dreaming enough. / If you’ve never gotten a sunburn, you’re not spending enough time outside. / If you’ve never lost something, you’re not misplacing things often enough. / If you’ve never had a hangover, you’re not drinking enough. / If you’ve never had a cold, you’re not exposing yourself to enough germs. / If you’ve never had a broken bone, you’re not participating in enough physical activity. / If you’ve never been rejected, you’re not putting yourself out there enough. / If you’ve never failed a test, you’re not pushing yourself academically. / If you’ve never had a disagreement with a family member, you’re not expressing your thoughts and feelings openly. / If you’ve never gotten lost while hiking, you’re not exploring new trails. / If you’ve never received a parking ticket, you’re not driving in enough unfamiliar places.