Stuck in the Turing Matrix: Inauthenticity, Deception and the Social Life of AI
The Turing test may or may not be a valid test of machine intelligence. But in an age of generative AI, the test describes the positions we humans occupy. Judging whether or not something is human or machine produced is an everyday condition for many of us, one that involves taking a spectrum of positions along what the essay describes as a Turing Matrix combining questions of authenticity with questions of deception. Utilizing data from Reddit postings about AI in broad areas of social life, the essay examines positions taken in a Turing Matrix and describes complex negotiations taken by Reddit posters as they strive to make sense of the AI World in which they live. Even though the Turing Test may not tell us much about the achievement of AGI or other benchmarks, it can tell us a great deal about the limitations of human life in the Matrix.
