I’m one of those that is skeptical of AI, both the impact it can actually have on the future, but also from the point of view of being wary it may destroy the future (Terminator movies, anyone?). So whenever I see one of those memes doing the rounds of an AI getting a question ridiculously wrong or failing to understand basic alphabet or numerical concepts, I take great joy from it.

This one is next level. It popped up on that social network from @flowersslop, who asked DeepSeek R1 to select a random number. To put this in context, DeepSeek R1 is the newest AI on the block, should be the most intuitive. And for additional context, computers have been able to pick random numbers in next to no seconds since for decades.

That’s just a small part of it though, the full text is below:

Okay, the user wants me to think of a number between 1 and 10,000 but not tell them. Hmm, they mentioned not to overthink it, so maybe just pick a random number quickly. Let me see. Well, people often have favorite numbers or patterns. Maybe go with something like 7777? But that’s four 7s, which might be too obvious. Alternatively, 1234? Too sequential. Maybe a number that’s a common choice but not too predictable. Wait, I should just pick the first number that comes to mind. Let me try that. Closing my eyes and… 42? Wait, that’s from Hitchhiker’s Guide, but maybe they don’t want a reference. Alternatively, 1004? That’s within the range. Or 8675? No, that’s from a song. Hmm, maybe 3141? Like the first four digits of pi. But 3141 is 3.141… multiplied by 1000. That’s clever, but maybe too nerdy. Alternatively, 1984? But that’s a book title. Maybe 2023, the current year? But they might not want a recent year. Or 1337, which is leet speak. But that’s only 4 digits. Wait, 1337 is 1-3-3-7, which is 1337. Maybe that’s too slangy. Alternatively, 5000, the midpoint. But that’s too obvious. How about 777? No, that’s three digits. Wait, the number needs to be between 1 and 10,000, so up to four digits. Let me just pick 42 again. Wait, that’s too low. Maybe 420? But that’s associated with cannabis culture. Not sure. Maybe 6969? That’s a playful number but might be seen as immature. Alternatively, 1111? A repeating digit. Or 2222? Hmm. Maybe 1234 is too simple. Wait, the user said not to overthink, so just pick a number without second-guessing. Let me go with 7321. No reason, just random digits. But maybe that’s too arbitrary. Alternatively, 500, but 0500 is 500. Wait, leading zeros don’t count. So 500 is 500. Maybe 8888? That’s considered lucky in some cultures. But again, maybe too obvious. Alright, I’m overcomplicating it. The user said not to overthink. Let me just pick the first number that comes to mind. Okay, 7777. Done.

Honestly, it’s like being inside my actual brain. So much is funny about this: that it ends up with the number it started with despite all that soul-searching. That it picks a random number as instructed but then says, no that’s too random. That it keeps remembering it shouldn’t overthink but can’t help but carry on. So human.

If we are worried about the future of AI, and we should be, then we just need to remember moments like this that the threat isn’t quite fully developed as yet.