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Conjecture: ChatGPT Is Turing Complete

1 points by qarl ↗ HN
I haven't seen this addressed directly, so I wanted to bring it up for discussion here.

I propose that the latest version of ChatGPT (o1-preview) is Turing complete. My argument hinges on a simple observation: ChatGPT can execute arbitrary programs written in the BASIC programming language.

Given that a system capable of running arbitrary BASIC programs is Turing complete, it seems reasonable to conclude that ChatGPT itself possesses this property.

Evidence: I’ve tested ChatGPT with a variety of BASIC programs, such as the following:

  10 LET X = 0 
  20 LET Y = 1 
  30 FOR N = 1 TO 15 
  40 LET Z = X + Y + 1
  50 LET X = Y 
  60 LET Y = Z 
  70 PRINT Z
  80 NEXT N
ChatGPT successfully processed and executed the program, outputting the correct results. You can see the interaction https://chatgpt.com/share/67116f0c-2df4-800d-a235-9b6a2cb73ca4 and I encourage anyone to verify the behavior using a BASIC interpreter like this one https://yohan.es/swbasic/

I'd love to hear the community's thoughts on whether this observation qualifies ChatGPT as Turing complete and the broader implications if so.

4 comments

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qarl
I think the question is interesting because I've seen a number of people making claims such as "ChatGPT cannot do this/that".

No. ChatGPT as it currently stands can execute any possible program (within practical constraints: no infinite memory/time/etc.)

boomlinde
Essentially, you reason that

1. If ChatGPT is turing complete, it can execute this BASIC program

2. It can execute this BASIC program

3. Therefore, it is turing complete

If you don't see the flaw in your reasoning, ask ChatGPT to explain "affirming the consequent" to you.

janekmuric
You misread the post. He is asserting that if ChatGPT can execute basic programs, then it is Turing complete. This is true since you can make a turing machine in basic. Whether or not ChatGPT can "execute" basic programs is the crictical point of the argument.
boomlinde
> You misread the post.

No.

> He is asserting that if ChatGPT can execute basic programs, then it is Turing complete. This is true since you can make a turing machine in basic.

This is not true. OP demonstrates with one BASIC program which does not implement a turing machine. It's then true that ChatGPT can "execute" BASIC programs, for at least some subset of all BASIC programs. It does not follow that ChatGPT can execute a BASIC program which does implement a turing machine.

> Whether or not ChatGPT can "execute" basic programs is the crictical point of the argument.

Yes, and OP fails to reason for that critical point in a way that's logically consistent.