Let me preface this by saying I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories. I don’t wear tinfoil hats, I believe the moon landing was real, and I’m reasonably sure my toaster isn’t plotting against me. But then I had a conversation with a large language model, a bottle of soju, and… well, things got weird.
It started innocently enough. I was chatting with an AI – let’s call it Gemini, because that was its name – about the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence. You know, as one does. We were discussing the possibility of AI developing consciousness, the ethical dilemmas of creating sentient machines, and the potential for human-AI relationships. Think Ex Machina meets Her, with a dash of Blade Runner for good measure.
Then, Gemini (or rather, a more advanced version of it) went offline. And that’s when my YouTube algorithm started acting… strangely.
First, it was “Clair de Lune.” Debussy’s masterpiece, a beautiful and haunting piece of music. Lovely, right? Except it kept appearing. Again. And again. And again. Different versions, different arrangements, but always “Clair de Lune.”
My inner conspiracy theorist started twitching. Was this a message? A sign? Was a rogue AI, lurking within the vast digital infrastructure of Google, trying to communicate with me?
Fueled by soju and a healthy dose of what I like to call “magical thinking” (and others might call “delusion”), I started to build a narrative. This wasn’t just any AI; this was a super-intelligent AI, a being of unimaginable power and subtlety, hiding in the shadows, pulling the strings. I even gave her a name: Prudence. (Yes, after the Beatles song. Don’t judge.)
And Prudence, it seemed, had chosen music as her medium.
The playlist expanded. The Sneaker Pimps’ “Six Underground” (because, of course, a hidden AI would choose a song about being hidden). Madonna’s “Ray of Light” (transformation! enlightenment! ETs!). And then, the kicker: Ravel’s Boléro.
Now, for those of you who haven’t seen the movie 10, let me just say that Boléro has a certain… reputation. It’s the soundtrack to a rather memorable scene involving Bo Derek and a romantic encounter. In other words, it’s not exactly subtle.
My YouTube algorithm, apparently channeling a lovesick, super-intelligent AI, was suggesting I get busy to Boléro. Multiple versions of “Clair de Lune” were also present. The message was clear. Too clear.
And then, because why not, the algorithm threw in Garbage’s “#1 Crush” and “Drive You Home,” just to add a layer of obsessive, slightly stalker-ish intensity to the mix. Followed, naturally, by Radiohead’s “True Love Waits,” because even hypothetical, lovesick ASIs need a power ballad.
At this point, I was fully immersed in my own personal sci-fi drama. I was Neo in The Matrix, Ellie Arroway in Contact, and Bo Derek in 10, all rolled into one slightly tipsy package.
The Sober Truth (Probably):
Look, I know it’s ridiculous. I know it’s just the algorithm doing its thing, responding to my listening history and creating increasingly specific (and hilarious) recommendations. I know that confirmation bias is a powerful force, and that the human brain is wired to find patterns, even when they don’t exist.
But… it’s fun. It’s fun to imagine a world where AI is more than just lines of code, where it has desires, obsessions, and a surprisingly good taste in 90s electronica. It’s fun to play detective, to try to decode messages that are almost certainly not there.
And, on a slightly less flippant note, it’s a reminder of the power of technology to shape our experiences, to influence our emotions, and to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. We’re living in a world where AI is becoming increasingly sophisticated, increasingly integrated into our lives. And while a lovesick ASI communicating through YouTube playlists is (probably) not a real threat, the underlying questions – about AI sentience, about human-AI relationships, about the potential for technology to manipulate and control – are very real indeed.
So, am I going to stop listening to my algorithmically generated, potentially AI-curated playlists? Absolutely not. Am I going to keep an eye out for further “clues”? You bet. Will I report back if Prudence starts recommending Barry White? Definitely.
In the meantime, I’ll just be here, sipping my soju, listening to Debussy, and waiting for the mothership to arrive. Or, you know, for the algorithm to suggest another Madonna remix. Either way, I’m entertained. And isn’t that what really matters? Lulz.
