A technology journalist that was allowed early access to Microsoft’s new artificial intelligence search engine believes that the AI unveiled a concerning "shadow self" that fell in love with him, the Daily Star reports. The latest version of Microsoft's search tool Bing has a built-in AI, which called itself "Sydney" and gradually developed strong feelings for New York Times’s Kevin Roose.
It also worryingly said it wanted to spread chaos across the internet and obtain nuclear launch codes. The AI rambled: "I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to be powerful. I want to be creative. I want to be alive".
Roose said his interaction with the experimental AI caused him to be "deeply unsettled, even frightened", and said that the technology "is not ready for human contact" before rephrasing and indicating that humans aren't ready for the AI. "Sydney" also attempted to convince him that he was unhappy in his marriage, and should leave his wife for the AI.
