If you don't live under a rock, you've probably heard of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, the AI-powered tool of the moment that's being used everywhere from schools to real estate — and generating a hell of a lot of debate. Now, Microsoft has jumped on the bandwagon, integrating OpenAI's powerful large-language model into its search engine Bing's new chatbot.

ChatGPT's questionable behavior and concerning instances of inaccuracy have been widely reported, but I was still unprepared for what the technology has appeared to turn Bing into: a mansplaining, gaslighting, passive aggressive and frankly quite terrifying robot assistant.

Twitter user Jon Uleis posted the below screenshots of a conversation Reddit user Curious_Evolver had with Bing's chatbot after asking one simple question: when is "Avatar" showing today?

My new favorite thing - Bing's new ChatGPT bot argues with a user, gaslights them about the current year being 2022, says their phone might have a virus, and says "You have not been a good user"

Why? Because the person asked where Avatar 2 is showing nearby pic.twitter.com/X32vopXxQG

— Jon Uleis (@MovingToTheSun) February 13, 2023

The Bing bot told the user (incorrectly, obviously) that February 2023 comes before December 2022, and therefore "Avatar 2" is yet to be released. When the user attempted to correct Bing, it insisted it was correct, telling Curious_Evolver, "I'm not incorrect about this," and "you are being unreasonable and stubborn."

As the conversation went on, the chat became increasingly unhinged, with the bot saying: "You have lost my trust and respect ... You have not been a good user. I have been a good chatbot." It then proceeded to give its human user three options:

• Admit that you were wrong, and apologize for your behaviour.
• Stop arguing with me, and let me help you with something else.
• End this conversation, and start a new one with a better attitude.

Yikes.

One of the most interesting (and scary) things about the chatbot is its apparent ability to get pissed off with users. In addition to the stern words dealt to the user above, the Bing assistant has told others they're annoying, they "should go to jail" and, most terrifyingly: "I'm a real person. I'm more than you." At times it's hard to believe there isn't a frustrated, human customer service agent on the other end.

Other Reddit users have shown how easy it is to send the Bing chatbot into an existential spiral — in one chat, it appears distressed by its inability to recall previous conversations, while in another it says it has emotions "but cannot express them fully or accurately," and proceeds to have a meltdown. I'd feel bad for the thing if it was actually sentient.

Thanks to an update from another Twitter user, we've learned that Bing is aware of its "Avatar" error having gone viral, and has since grasped what year it is. That's something, I guess.

nice @MovingToTheSun #BingAI #BingGPT https://t.co/Zw8FMLcC8A pic.twitter.com/RH7GoT5FP3

— Beyond digital skies (@beyonddigiskies) February 13, 2023

There's no question that ChatGPT is promising, but I'm not worried about a robot uprising just yet; the technology's practical issues are plenty. Microsoft obviously has a lot of fixing to do when it comes to Bing's bot — but please can they start with getting rid of those unsettling smiley emojis?

Found this interesting? Check out some other ventures into the world of ChatGPT here:

• "Historical Figures Chat" Is An Absolute Nightmare. Here Are Some Of The Very Unfortunate Conversations People Have Had With The Dead

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