{"product_id":"matthew-watkins-solid-gold-magikarp","title":"'SolidGoldMagikarp' by Matthew Watkins (Hardback, signed)","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eSolidGoldMagikarp: A Descent Into the AI Underworld \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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?\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThe 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.\"\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eSome reviews:\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e“Utterly fascinating, hugely relevant and brilliantly told… one of the most compelling and bizarre mathematical adventures I have ever read.”\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e      Alex Bellos, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThink Twice\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e“Top notch. Unfolding like a nerdy occult techno-thriller… Watkins tells the weird tale of how he discovered two ghosts in the LLM machine.”\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e      Erik Davis, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eHigh Weirdness\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e“Watkins was the sole witness to the weirdest — and perhaps most important — story in AI. His rigorous obsession with this mystery will become yours.”\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e      Cullen Hoback, director of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMoney Electric\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eQ: Into the Storm\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e“I strongly approve of this work… People who produce interesting new kinds of AI breakages should be cherished and cultivated.”\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e      Eliezer Yudkowsky, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Smugglers Festival","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57569458782581,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0002\/7790\/5449\/files\/solidgoldmagikarp.png?v=1789334690","url":"https:\/\/smugglersfestival.com\/products\/matthew-watkins-solid-gold-magikarp","provider":"Smugglers Festival","version":"1.0","type":"link"}