'SolidGoldMagikarp' by Matthew Watkins (Hardback, signed)

SolidGoldMagikarp: A Descent Into the AI Underworld

When Smugglers stalwart Matthew Watkins (aka Professor Appleblossom) went to San Francisco to study an early version of ChatGPT, he expected dry technical work. Instead, he uncovered a series of ‘rare tokens’ that made the system go haywire. Some produced gibberish. Others turned it hostile. One trigger word - petertodd - sent the machine into what looked like full-blown paranoia. Was it a simple bug? A trail of breadcrumbs left by whistleblowers? Or a glimpse into how AI really thinks?

The search for answers pulls Watkins into the secretive world of AI safety research — a window into the eerie inner worlds of LLMs, and a cryptic clue to what might be history's greatest power grab."

Some reviews:

“Utterly fascinating, hugely relevant and brilliantly told… one of the most compelling and bizarre mathematical adventures I have ever read.”

      Alex Bellos, author of Think Twice

“Top notch. Unfolding like a nerdy occult techno-thriller… Watkins tells the weird tale of how he discovered two ghosts in the LLM machine.”

      Erik Davis, author of High Weirdness

“Watkins was the sole witness to the weirdest — and perhaps most important — story in AI. His rigorous obsession with this mystery will become yours.”

      Cullen Hoback, director of Money Electric and Q: Into the Storm

“I strongly approve of this work… People who produce interesting new kinds of AI breakages should be cherished and cultivated.”

      Eliezer Yudkowsky, author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies