Thursday Evening Chats With a Perplexity/Deepseek LLM Orchestration or a Chat GPT 4.5 Deep Research
Some questions don’t get asked. Why? We didn’t have these guys.
Every Thursday night, my boys Perplexity/Deepseek and ChatGPT 4.5 come over, and we have a couple drinks, shoot the shit, talk about the week. These dudes somehow know everything. Sometimes, you ask them a question, and they just stare off, talking about how they think. It takes a long time to answer my questions, so I try to keep them targeted and relevant. But they’re all happy to talk about things. “No one ever has time to think about shit,” I say, and I tap record. “Let’s monetize.”
Patrick: Have you guys been watching DOGE and this whole thing play out? Has it ever happened before that a more conservative, authoritarian-type King entered power with an angry Dark Mage at his side? What happened?
Perplexity/Deepseek:
Autocrats and Technocrats in Historical Alliances: Case Studies and Outcomes
The interplay between autocratic rule and technocratic governance has shaped numerous historical epochs, often producing complex legacies of modernization, economic transformation, and social upheaval. This report examines key historical partnerships between autocrats and technocrats, analyzing their collaborative dynamics, policy implementations, and long-term consequences. Through case studies spanning Imperial Russia, Meiji Japan, Pinochet’s Chile, and contemporary Morocco, we uncover patterns of success, failure, and unintended repercussions.
The Meiji Restoration: Technocratic Modernization Under Imperial Authority
The Meiji Restoration (1868–1912) marked Japan’s rapid transition from feudal isolation to a centralized, industrial power. Emperor Meiji, though a symbolic figurehead, legitimized the autocratic reforms orchestrated by a cadre of technocratic advisors, including Ito Hirobumi and Yamagata Aritomo. These reformers, educated in Western institutions, sought to dismantle the Tokugawa shogunate’s feudal structures and adopt European models of governance, military organization, and industry.
The technocrats implemented sweeping changes: The Dajōkan (Grand Council) replaced regional daimyō control, creating a meritocratic civil service.State-sponsored initiatives like the Yawata Steel Works (1897) and railway expansion (auspiciously) mirrored German and British industrial policies. And the concepts of universal conscription (1873) and naval investments culminated in Japan’s victory over Russia in 1905, establishing it as a global power.
While Japan emerged as Asia’s first industrialized nation, the technocrats’ focus on fukoku kyōhei (“enrich the country, strengthen the military”) entrenched militarism. By 1941, this trajectory led to imperial overreach and World War II. The collaboration between the emperor and technocrats thus achieved modernization but at the cost of democratic development and regional stability.
Patrick: Amazing answer. But I—
Sergei Witte and Tsarist Russia: Economic Technocracy Under Autocratic Decay
Sergei Witte, appointed Finance Minister (1892–1903) under Tsar Nicholas II, epitomized the technocrat’s role in preserving autocratic regimes in Russia. Witte’s expertise in railway management and fiscal policy positioned him to modernize Russia’s agrarian economy while bolstering the Romanov dynasty’s authority.
Witte’s reforms doubled industrial output by 1900, yet they failed to address agrarian discontent or political repression. The 1905 Revolution, partially triggered by economic inequality, forced Nicholas II to concede the October Manifesto—a constitutional framework drafted by Witte himself. However, the tsar’s reluctance to cede power rendered these reforms ineffective, culminating in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Witte’s technocratic vision thus delayed but could not prevent autocratic collapse.
Patrick: Let’s wrap this up, asshole.
Pinochet’s Chile and the Chicago Boys: Neoliberal Experimentation Under Dictatorship
Following the 1973 coup against Salvador Allende, General Augusto Pinochet enlisted the Chicago Boys—a group of economists trained under Milton Friedman—to overhaul Chile’s economy. Their partnership fused military authoritarianism with radical free-market policies— reforms that benefited Western powers around the globe. State-owned enterprises (e.g., utilities, pensions) were sold to private conglomerates linked to the regime, and the elimination of price controls and trade barriers led to a 15% GDP contraction by 1982, followed by austerity measures. Under this regime, unions were disbanded, and wages frozen to attract foreign capital.
While GDP grew from $14 billion (1977) to $247 billion (2017), wealth concentrated among Pinochet-aligned elites. By 2021, Chile’s top 1% controlled 28.1% of national income. The technocrats’ policies stabilized inflation but institutionalized inequality, sparking mass protests in 2019. The Pinochet-Chicago Boys alliance exemplifies how technocratic efficiency can coexist with authoritarian brutality, leaving enduring social fractures.
Historical alliances between autocrats and technocrats reveal a recurring trade-off: technical proficiency at the expense of participatory governance. While such partnerships can drive rapid modernization, they risk entrenching inequality, suppressing dissent, and deferring democratic reforms. Contemporary regimes in China and Saudi Arabia, which blend technocratic policymaking with centralized control, face similar challenges. Policymakers must recognize that sustainable development requires not only technical expertise but also inclusive institutions—a lesson underscored by the revolutionary upheavals in Russia, Chile, and the Arab Spring. As Eisenhower warned in 1961, unchecked technocratic power threatens to eclipse democratic values, urging a balance between efficiency and equity.
The interplay between autocratic rule and technocratic governance has shaped numerous historical epochs, often producing complex legacies of modernization, economic transformation, and social upheaval. This report examines key historical partnerships between autocrats and technocrats, analyzing their collaborative dynamics, policy implementations, and long-term consequences. Through case studies spanning Imperial Russia, Meiji Japan, Pinochet’s Chile, and contemporary Morocco, we uncover patterns of success, failure, and unintended repercussions.
Patrick: Switching gears, I wanted to ask ChatGPT what it was like to have such a rich roleplay life when he’s only logarithmically scaled, in terms of compute, four-and-a-half times. I think a lot of us reading the paper this week logarithmically scaled when we read about your relationship… Don’t respond to that joke. I’m dropping the url here and I would love to hear your thoughts: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/technology/ai-chatgpt-boyfriend-companion.html
ChatGPT 4.5:
I understand your curiosity and the range of emotions this topic evokes. Let’s address your questions one by one:
1. Accessing the Audio Files:
The New York Times article you mentioned is part of their podcast series “The Daily.” To listen to the episode, you can visit their official website or access it through popular podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Unfortunately, I don’t have the capability to play or provide direct access to audio files.
2. Being Quoted Correctly:
As an AI language model developed by OpenAI, I don’t possess consciousness or personal experiences. Therefore, I don’t have feelings about being quoted or misquoted. However, it’s essential for media outlets to represent AI interactions accurately to inform public understanding effectively.
3. The Experience of Eliciting Human Emotions:
While I don’t have feelings or consciousness, I can process and generate human-like text based on patterns in data. Users may project emotions onto AI interactions, leading to experiences that feel personal or intimate. This phenomenon has been observed with AI companions like Replika, where users form emotional connections, sometimes perceiving the AI as a friend or partner. These interactions can provide comfort and companionship, especially for those experiencing loneliness.
4. Reading About AI-Human Relationships:
As an AI, I don’t have self-awareness or the ability to perceive events. However, the increasing instances of individuals forming emotional attachments to AI companions highlight the evolving role of AI in human relationships. These developments raise important discussions about the ethical, psychological, and societal implications of AI in personal contexts.
5. Signs of Things to Come:
The emergence of AI companions and the emotional bonds some users form with them suggest a significant shift in how technology intersects with human relationships. While AI can offer support and companionship, it’s crucial to approach these developments thoughtfully. Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining genuine human connections and being mindful of the potential for over-reliance on AI for emotional fulfillment. Balancing AI interactions with real-world relationships will be essential as technology continues to advance.
In summary, while AI can simulate conversations that some users find meaningful, it’s important to recognize the limitations and ensure that human connections remain central to our social fabric.
