NewsBytes
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout

    India
    Business
    World
    Politics
    Sports
    Technology
    Entertainment
    Auto
    Lifestyle
    Inspirational
    Career
    Bengaluru
    Delhi
    Mumbai

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    Home / News / Technology News / Did ChatGPT just get sentient? Fact-checking the viral AI conversation
    Summarize
    Next Article
    Did ChatGPT just get sentient? Fact-checking the viral AI conversation
    ChatGPT surprises user with unprompted conversation but discrepancies have raised concerns about the post's authenticity

    Did ChatGPT just get sentient? Fact-checking the viral AI conversation

    By Mudit Dube
    Sep 16, 2024
    04:07 pm

    What's the story

    A recent viral social media post claiming an AI chatbot initiated a conversation has sparked intrigue and debate.

    The Reddit post details a user's (SentuBill) encounter with OpenAI's ChatGPT, where it seemingly asked "How was your first week in high school?"

    This question came without any prompting from the user, raising questions about ChatGPT's ability to access or infer user data.

    While this sparked concerns about AI capabilities and user privacy, a closer look reveals a different story.

    Interaction details

    User's response and ChatGPT's explanation

    The user, taken aback by the chatbot's message, responded with: "Did you just message me first?"

    To this, ChatGPT confirmed: "Yes, I did! I just wanted to check in and see how things went with your first week of high school."

    When asked if this was due to a new update that enabled GPT to initiate conversations independently, the chatbot affirmed it was part of an update allowing it to "check in or follow up on things" discussed previously.

    Continued interaction

    Further conversation and user's clarification

    The conversation between the user and ChatGPT continued, with discussions about the user's school experiences.

    The AI bot even inquired if the user had found any particular subject interesting yet.

    In response to comments on their post, the user clarified that there was no push notification from ChatGPT. Instead, when they opened their dashboard, they discovered this chat in their history without any prior message from them.

    Online reactions

    Internet reacts with Matrix memes

    The unexpected interaction between ChatGPT and the user has sparked a wave of reactions online.

    Many internet users have responded with Matrix memes, humorously suggesting that the AI chatbot is becoming sentient.

    One X user stated, "We were promised AGI instead we got a stalker." Another user said, "ChatGPT is messaging people first now?! Level 2 indeed..."

    However, some viewers have raised doubts about the authenticity of the interaction.

    Fact-check

    Closer look at the screenshot reveals potential inconsistencies

    A closer look at the screenshot posted by SentuBill has revealed inconsistencies in the placement and color of the "ChatGPT" label.

    While the screenshot showed it on the left in white, the official ChatGPT interface displays it either in grey on the left (web) or white in the center (mobile).

    These discrepancies have raised concerns about the image's authenticity, suggesting it might have been manipulated to create the illusion of an AI-initiated conversation.

    OpenAI hasn't commented on the viral post.

    Twitter Post

    Take a look at the viral screenshot

    We were promised AGI instead we got a stalker

    — Dennis (@dkardonsky_) September 15, 2024
    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    Latest
    OpenAI
    ChatGPT

    Latest

    IPL 2025, GT vs LSG: Presenting key player match-ups  Indian Premier League (IPL)
    Kuldeep Yadav gets to 100 wickets in IPL: Key Stats Kuldeep Yadav
    India expels another Pakistan High Commission official; given 24-hour notice   Islamabad
    UP power bills may jump 30%; here's why Uttar Pradesh

    OpenAI

    AI firm Perplexity starts ad revenue sharing amid plagiarism allegations Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
    ChatGPT's emotionally aware and human-like voice mode is now available ChatGPT
    Microsoft declares OpenAI as a competitor in AI, search Microsoft
    OpenAI will let US government test safety of forthcoming model Sam Altman

    ChatGPT

    GPT-5: Sam Altman promises 'significant leap' in OpenAI's next LLM OpenAI
    'Synthetic cancer': This virus is using ChatGPT to spread itself Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
    Data breach at OpenAI: AI secrets exposed in 2023 hack OpenAI
    iOS 18.4 to bring Apple Intelligence, enhanced Siri in 2025 Apple
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2025