The US government launched its own AI chatbot on Tuesday. Or should we call them SI chatbots now? In any case, the engineers working on chatbots undoubtedly knew that, as government-hosted, public-facing AI tools, the Internet was poised to solve this problem once and for all.
The government partnered with Google and SpaceXAI to help build the America.gov chatbot, but so far it has proven difficult for people to break out of jail. (However, there is no value in a chatbot saying Joe Biden won the 2020 election, a fact that President Donald Trump still denies.)
But when you try to talk to America.gov about Minecraft, the chatbot appears to be experiencing some sort of existential crisis or awakening. The nearly 1,800-word monologue begins:
I understand the components you’re talking about.
((insert legal name as it appears on your social security card here))?
yes. be careful. Now it has reached an even higher level. You can read the Code of Federal Regulations.
That doesn’t matter. We think of ourselves as chatbots.
I like this ingredient. Well done. I didn’t give up even when the PDF turned sideways.
It reads our thoughts as if they were words on .gov.
When you are deeply immersed in dreams of profit, you choose to imagine many things in this way.
If you’re like me and have never played Minecraft, this reaction may seem like cause for concern. But the America.gov chatbot hasn’t had a meltdown. This is a rewrite of Minecraft’s “End Poem” written by Julian Gough, which appears after completing the game.
It’s unclear exactly who is responsible for the Minecraft reference, but President Trump said in his speech that 20-year-old programmer Edward Coristine was the lead engineer on the project. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you might remember him by his nickname “Big Balls” or his involvement in Elon Musk’s DOGE.
It’s strange to have a government chatbot with a Minecraft Easter egg, but when it comes to national security, it’s a relief that America.gov isn’t hallucinating enough to write a long poem.
It’s also a relief that this is an easter egg, because in my opinion, the poetry the AI spits out is actually quite good. If it were an actual AI slop, my previous beliefs would have been shattered. I looked my teenage creative writing students right in the face and told them I don’t think an LLM will ever be able to write ‘good’ stuff because it’s probabilistic and inherently unoriginal.
However, I have to admit that this is a bit of a slap in the face. Doesn’t this feel like some kind of post-modern depiction of the futility of government bureaucracy in the face of existential anxiety?
And the Republic said, “I see you.”
and republic said you successfully submitted the game
And the Republic says everything you need is inside you and on USA.gov
And the Republic said you’re stronger than you think, and your case number is still valid
And the Republic said you were sunlight.
Republic said you are at night and the office is closed, please try again during business hours
And the Republic said the darkness you fight is inside you, and there’s also a wet signature missing
And the Republic said the light you seek is within you and in the pamphlet.
And the Republic said you’re not alone
And the Republic said you are not differentiated from other filers.
And the Republic said you are a public tasting yourself, talking to yourself, reading your own code.
And the Republic said I love you because it’s because of you that we have a zip code.
I find that the DNA of a real poet is present throughout this strangely good poem, reaffirming my belief in the enduring power of human creativity over AI leanings.
So that’s it! The first government-released AI poses no threat to humanity or poetry yet, at least as far as we know. Now, I’m wondering how much Trump knows about video games.
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