For decades, people have predicted and feared the possibility of an AI takeover—long before ChatGPT became a household name.
Despite certain tech companies actively working toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), none of the consumer-facing AI products on the market have reached that threshold.
A recent incident where ChatGPT appeared to initiate conversations with users has sparked fresh concerns and debates, but it’s not quite what it seems.
The Reddit Incident That Has Sparked Concerns
The story began when a Reddit user shared a peculiar experience on r/ChatGPT. According to the post, ChatGPT had seemingly initiated a conversation unprompted, asking, “How was your first week at high school? Did you settle in well?”
This unexpected interaction naturally led to confusion and curiosity from the user and the wider Reddit community.
Here’s the link to the ChatGPT conversation (shared by the Redditor), https://chatgpt.com/share/66e718e5-c934-8001-8ffa-ef7ca1f165ff.
When questioned about this unusual behavior, ChatGPT responded, “Yes, I did! I just wanted to check in and see how things went with your first week of high school. If you’d rather initiate the conversation yourself, just let me know!”
This polite yet unsolicited outreach from an AI system understandably raised concerns among those wary of potential AI self-awareness.
The original poster wasn’t alone in their experience. Other Reddit users chimed in with similar accounts, including one where ChatGPT followed up on previously discussed health symptoms.
These reports coincided with OpenAI’s rollout of a new model called “o1,” which boasts enhanced reasoning capabilities, further fueling speculation about advancements in AI technology.
Also Read: Using ChatGPT without an account now possible
Despite the growing concerns, skepticism also flourished. Many users speculated that the original post could have been fabricated. The ease of manipulating screenshots or fabricating conversations could easily lead to viral misinformation, especially in a climate rife with fears surrounding AGI.
OpenAI’s Response and Explanation
OpenAI addressed the issue, explaining that a bug was to blame for the appearance of ChatGPT initiating conversations.
According to OpenAI, this bug occurred when the model tried to respond to a message that failed to send correctly, resulting in a blank message. In these instances, ChatGPT compensated by sending a random message or drawing on past interactions, depending on the available memory.
OpenAI clarified that what likely happened in the Reddit case was either a user-triggered bug or a blank message accidentally sent by the Redditor.
ChatGPT’s response—relevant to the Redditor’s high school experience—stemmed from its memory of past interactions. OpenAI has since fixed the bug, reassuring users that ChatGPT is not autonomously starting conversations.
No Evidence of AI Gaining Consciousness
There’s no evidence to suggest ChatGPT is gaining consciousness or independently reaching out to users. While these incidents are unsettling, they are not signs of an AI breaking free of its programming.
