Camilo shares a healthy skepticism of AI in his new single ‘Maldito ChatGPT’

Amid heated public debates over the growing use of artificial intelligence in everyday life, the Latin Grammy-winning pop star Camilo warns humanity against an over-reliance on one particular AI platform: ChatGPT.

On June 25, the Colombian singer-songwriter released the Trooko-produced electro-pop single, “Maldito ChatGPT,” which playfully critiques the role of artificial intelligence in human affairs. In his lyrics, he consults the ChatGPT bot for advice on how to resolve his relationship woes. “You’re not for me, that’s what ChatGPT told me, it knows me better than I know myself.”

The new music video — directed by Camilo’s spouse, Evaluna Montaner, and Sebastian Andrade — is just as critical of this “smart” technology. Set in a dimly-lit office with Post-it notes and paper scattered about the cubical, the visuals pay homage to the aesthetics of the 1999 cult comedy film “Office Space.”

Camilo, dressed in full office wear (save for his feet) agonizes over his relationship, feeling powerless to make a decision whether to stay. He shakes a Magic 8 ball, flips through a finger fortune teller and pulls petals from a daisy. Finally, an undefined robot voice affirms that the differences between Camilo and his lover are clear, and might cause issues in the long run. “You deserve a relationship where you feel full compatibility,” says the robot voice.

When asked how he feels, Camilo wraps the song with: “Like absolute crap, dude. How else am I supposed to feel?”

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“Maldito ChatGPT” is a welcome response to the increasing use of AI on people’s personal lives. The ChatGPT platform now offers a specialized bot for relationship advice, which offers mixed results for humans; an early study by MIT’s Media Lab has linked frequent use of ChatGPT to an increase in loneliness and emotional dependence, though the results have not yet been peer-reviewed.

The platform has also raised ethical questions recently in the news. Earlier this month, CBS News interviewed an American man who proposed to an AI chatbot that he programmed for flirty responses — despite living with his very human partner and their 2-year-old child. Meanwhile, educators have expressed concerns about their students using ChatGPT to complete assignments, thus hindering their ability to develop core skills. Meanwhile, OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company, has become so influential among humans that it secured a $200-million contract with the Department of Defense to aid in “national security missions.”

As humans continue to engage with these innovative AI tools without any guardrails, outsourcing matters of the heart to technology gives Camilo the most pause. “In the midst of everything that seems calculated, choosing from the heart remains a radical act,” said Camilo in a public statement.

“We live surrounded by quick answers,” he further elaborated on Instagram. “By formulas designed to avoid failure. By technologies that predict and know everything. By ideas about what love is supposed to look like,” he explained. “There’s something that doesn’t fit into any logic. Or any checklist,” Camilo added. “Love isn’t a casting call. Love is something you feel. And nothing — and no one — can ever feel it for us.”