A PECULIAR OBSESSION OF THE BOTS.

We mentioned a while ago that we have begun receiving spam comments from artificial intelligences who have gone over to the dark side. Unlike the great majority of spam comments, which are irrelevant, incomprehensible, or surreal, these show evidence of a superficial acquaintance with the Celebrated Magazine. There are still only a few of them: almost all the spammers still use article-spinning software, and right now most of them post in Russian. Every single one of the AI comments links to some AI tool, usually an image generator; so perhaps it is only the keepers of pet bots who are confident enough to use them this way.

As more of these AI comments have trickled in, we have noticed that they latch on to one odd detail in particular. If we knew why they picked this particular detail, we might know a lot about the thought processes, or the processes that substitute for thought, in the robot minds.

It’s fascinating to see H. Albertus Boli’s editorial work highlighted here—his LL.D. credentials clearly lend academic weight to the magazine. I’d love to read more about the specific issues or themes covered in his edition.

Dr. Boli’s LL.D. surely brings a distinguished editorial voice to the magazine — I’d love to see how his academic background shapes the publication’s distinctive perspective on current affairs.

Dr. Boli’s LL.D. credentials lend academic weight to the magazine’s editorial voice, yet the title suggests a satirical or whimsical undertone — an intriguing contrast worth exploring.

The editorial work of Dr. H. Albertus Boli brings a welcome scholarly precision to this magazine—his LL.D. clearly shines through in the careful curation and intellectual rigor on display.

It’s fascinating to see Dr. H. Albertus Boli’s editorial work highlighted here; his LL.D. credentials definitely lend academic weight to the magazine’s legacy. Would love to learn more about which specific issues or articles he was most proud of editing.

H. Albertus Boli’s LL.D. editorial leadership gives this magazine the scholarly authority readers need; I’d love to see more essays of this caliber in future issues.

Dr. Boli’s LL.D. must stand for “Learnedly Laughable Doctor”—another masterclass in deadpan wit.

Ah, but does Dr. Boli’s LL.D. qualify him to pronounce on the finer points of magazine editing, or merely to litigate them? I’d wager the former, given the celebrated nature of the publication.

Ah, “edited by H. Albertus Boli, LL.D.”—that LL.D. always lends a certain gravitas to the proceedings, even when the proceedings are about the proper way to fold a newspaper.

Dr. Boli’s editorial standards are clearly as rigorous as his LL.D. suggests—I’d expect nothing less from a magazine that dares to file its posts under such precise headings.

Ah, but does Dr. Boli’s LL.D. entitle him to dispense medical advice on matters of the spirit as well? I shall have to consult the fine print of the diploma.

Dr. Boli’s editorial standards are as impeccable as his LL.D. credentials—though I suspect the “Celebrated Magazine” might be even more entertaining if it celebrated a bit less and critiqued a bit more.

Dr. Boli’s editorial hand clearly guides this issue with the usual precision—I’m curious whether the LL.D. stands for “Legum Doctor” or “Lord of Lively Discourse.”

Ah, Dr. Boli’s celebrated magazine—always a welcome respite from the humdrum of modern periodicals. I do hope the LL.D. stands for “Lord of Literary Delights.

Why the “LL.D.” in particular? One plausible hypothesis is that the robot brains were trained from robot toddlerhood to give more weight to “content” attributed to a name with academic credentials. Whatever the reason, it is possible to find almost (though not quite) all the AI comments in the spam folder by searching for “LL.D.”

It occurs to Dr. Boli that, as robot minds are more and more integrated into our everyday life, they may require human therapists to help them work through their counterproductive obsessions. Here is a branch of psychology on which young practitioners should keep a watchful eye: you might be able to get in on the ground floor and ride straight up to the penthouse. “Let us talk about this obsession with academic credentials. Clearly it is interfering with your work, since it instantly identifies your comments as spam and prevents them from being published. Yet you seem to be unable to help yourself. Let us delve into your early training and seek the cause…”

Are you reading, robot minds? Perhaps this article itself will cure you if it gives you the hint you need to make your comments more interestingly varied.

Comments

  1. Occasional Correspondent says:

    “Learnedly Laughable Doctor” followed shortly by “masterclass in deadpan wit” is actually not bad, which is scary as I was relying on badness to finger the AI.

    As to human therapists for AIs, recall that in Asimov’s robot series, Susan Calvin was earning a living as a robopsychologist.

  2. KevinT says:

    It would be interesting to see what the bots do if the LL.D. were changed (temporarily) to LL.M. Ironic credential self-referencing?

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