In this open letter to a virtual chatbot, as ‘AI’ wins the ‘word of the year’ award, computational physicist Roger Kingdon gives a remedial lesson to remind his imaginary correspondent of distinctions between facts and values, as enshrined in key tenets of analytic philosophy.

The Yuan’s voyage of intelligent discovery sails on day 16 for Cambridge. The motto of this storied university town amid eastern England’s reed-grown fens is Literis Antiquis Novis Institutis Decora - Distinguished for Classical Learning and New Institutions - composed in 1846 by Edward Everett, US ambassador to the UK and president of Harvard College - in another Cambridge. Computational physicist Roger Kingdon discourses on Google’s Bard and other ‘new institutions.’

Intrigued by all the recent chatter about chatbots, I decided to conduct my own investigation, and the outcome was most illuminating. Here is the transcript of my first - and as yet only - exchange with Bard, Google’s ‘creative and helpful collaborator.’ I am R, Bard is B.