The more mariner reads about the depth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its ability to understand human language and nuance, the more he believes it may be up to the job of communicating with humans. The more examples of AI misrepresentation mariner observes, the more AI seems the same as how humans garble things. Does the reader think AI knows what ‘chaduin’ means? Would AI speak similarly if it were composing conversation? Would AI and Fats Domino understand each other or even someone from Baastn?

Mariner wears hearing aids. Hearing aids are capable of stringing whole sentences into one long string of incomprehensible noises. That sounds like something AI could do. Can AI use euphemisms like ’till the cows come home’ without literally waiting for the cows to come home? Some folks use AI to create procedural documents, instruction manuals and legal briefs. The odds are pretty good that these documents are no more comprehensible than human versions.

These aberrations can be entertaining but newer capabilities like replacing chunks of human brain with an AI look-a-like brain may make it difficult to to trace one’s life history. Further, how does one ascertain who garbled a word, AI or the human?

Mariner also is concerned about AI’s ability to hallucinate, interpret delusions or speak non-answers to questions. Will AI ever comprehend Marjorie Taylor Greene or Bernie Sanders? If AI can’t handles this, politicians will never be automated – mentally – mariner can imagine voting for robots.

There’s a trope that says “It’s a brave new world”; Can one be brave and automated at the same time?

Ancient Mariner