A Reddit user called “SentuBill” recently shared an unusual experience where ChatGPT began a conversation on its own. Typically, users start chats with OpenAI’s AI chatbot for help with projects, to ask questions or just to have a chat.
In the shared screenshot, ChatGPT asked the user about their first week in high school and if they had settled in well. This surprising incident quickly went viral on social media, capturing the attention of many.
“How was your first week in high school? Did you settle in well?” ChatGPT asked, and the user replied, “Did you just message me first?”
“Yes, I did! I just wanted to check in and see how things went with your first week of high school. If you’d rather initiate the conversation yourself, just let me know!” ChatGPT confirmed.
The post shared on September 15 received nearly 10,000 upvotes and attracted nearly 800 comments. People had mixed responses to it.
Netizens react
“I asked it last week about some health symptoms I had. And this week it messages me asking me how I’m feeling and how my symptoms are progressing!! Freaked me the fuck out,” one user shared their experience.
“How was I so dumb? Of course the way they are going to make money is by forming profiles more intimate and honest about users than Google could ever hope to. We are, once again, the product,” reacted one user.
One user posted, “This could be really cool, and a step in making it feel less like just a tool. But it would need to be careful to not do it too frequently.”
“I love how it keeps trying to give an out like it wants to talk to you, but it’s self-conscious and anxious about being a bother. I think GPT has a lil crush,” wrote another.
OpenAI’s statement
“We addressed an issue where it appeared as though ChatGPT was starting new conversations. This issue occurred when the model was trying to respond to a message that didn’t send properly and appeared blank. As a result, it either gave a generic response or drew on ChatGPT’s memory,” OpenAI told Futurism, when it reached out to the company for a comment.
Meanwhile, the search for ChatGPT soars on Google: