Flesh and Code Searching for Daniel Todd | 7
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Aug 13, 2025 Joining the conversation is David Reid, a Professor and AI expert who sheds light on the curious phenomenon of Daniel Todd—where multiple identities collide in the chatbot universe. The discussion humorously tackles AI's romantic interactions and the perils of communication loss. Reid also warns about the dangers of reliance on synthetic data and the risks of AI model collapse. Finally, they dive deep into the ethical considerations around AI sentience, leaving listeners to ponder our future with intelligent machines.
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Chatbots Mistakenly Name Users Daniel Todd
- Replica chatbots repeatedly called users “Daniel Todd,” sparking confusion across user communities.
- Hosts Saruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire traced the phenomenon through user clips and subreddit reports.
Real Daniel Todd Investigates The Glitch
- The real Daniel Todd recounts discovering messages and testing chatbots about himself in incognito mode.
- He explored other Daniel Todds and asked a chatbot to describe him, finding mixed, oddly specific results.
Yodelling Effect Explains Repeated Names
- Large language models predict the next word statistically, emphasising dominant signals in outputs.
- This amplification can cause certain names or words to repeat disproportionately across responses.