So, here's a fun thought experiment: imagine if warm water was denser than cold water and ice was denser than both. Would this actually be beneficial for life on Earth? I've tried testing this concept on various AI models like GPT, Gemini, and a few others, but they all seem to miss the mark. They claim that if ice sinks it would create catastrophic situations, but they're missing a key detail: the water at the ocean floor would be warm enough to melt any sinking ice. I'm curious if there's an AI out there that can understand this scenario's complexities and provide a correct answer on the first try. Has anyone else had a similar experience or found a model that handles this well?
3 Answers
You know, it seems like the whole premise of this thought experiment contradicts the basic principles we understand about water and life. If warm water was denser than cold, we'd actually have a pretty different ocean environment where ice wouldn't even form like it does now. It's kind of a paradox because without the ability for ice to float, the ecology as we know it just wouldn't exist. Maybe a different prompt would be better?
That's a really interesting question! If warm water were denser and ice was denser than both, it could totally change how ocean currents operate, right? I think some models like Grok are getting close to understanding that! Once you break down the currents created by this setup, it shows a completely new way for oxygen and nutrients to circulate, leading to thriving marine life.
I think Grok just needs a bit of coaxing. It might give the right answer after a couple of prompts. I found it quite insightful when I explained it thoroughly!
I tried GPT with the new 'think hard' feature, and it gave a solid answer but took a while. It's interesting to see how these models grapple with such complex scenarios. Link to my chat history is here if anyone is curious, though it's in German; it might be worth translating!
I'd love to check that out! It's always fascinating to see how different AI interpret these complex ideas.
But even in a scenario where ice sinks, wouldn't some regions still freeze at the poles? They'd just melt when they hit warmer water deeper down, right?