[65536b]

You claim that ChatGPT cannot understand anything because it merely pattern matches. Humans are basically pattern matching machines, we are just currently better than our computer counterparts. Do humans understand anything? I find this debate over whenever a computer can understand anything rather pointless. If something can produce useful output I don't care if it 'actually understands' anything.

[Brian_K_White]

You are equating or confusing appearance with essense.

An mp3 player that says "hello" is not greeting you, and you are not merely playing a recording of the sound "hello" at your neighbor.

A person can do many of the same outward actions as a machine. A machine can be made that carries rocks. You can also carry rocks. This does not make you really no different from a truck.

So a person can pattern-match, and write formulaically.