Thiel's point from the parent X post about the Turing test …

peter thiel argues that we are under-estimating the implications of being able talk to computers... how will this change the world

I think Peter Thiel raises an excellent point about how the ability to engage in fluent conversation with AI will have profound impacts on the world that may be underappreciated amidst concerns about AGI risk and surveillance.

Some key ways I believe conversational AI will change things:

1. It will make interacting with computers far more intuitive and accessible to the average person. Rather than needing to learn specialized query languages or interfaces, people will be able to just talk to AI to get things done. This could greatly expand and accelerate the adoption of AI-powered tools and services.

2. Conversational AI will enable highly personalized assistance at scale. AI assistants that really understand individual users' context, needs and preferences could provide tailored guidance, recommendations and support in myriad domains like education, healthcare, career development, etc. The "bicameral mind" of a human supported by a personalized AI could be very powerful.

3. AI interlocutors will allow for far richer human-computer collaboration and co-creation. Beyond just instructing computers to perform tasks, fluent back-and-forth dialogue will let humans brainstorm with AI, refine ideas together, challenge each other's reasoning, and combine their complementary strengths to solve problems and generate innovations neither could alone.

4. Social interactions with AI that can engage in open-ended conversation will become common, which could alter human relationships and society in complex ways, both positive (providing companionship, emotional support, mentorship to the lonely or struggling) and negative (addiction to AI social interaction over human, AI manipulating human beliefs/behavior).

5. AI that can converse naturally with humans will have an easier time acquiring knowledge from us, both to assist their own learning and potentially to aggregate into large knowledge bases. The accessibility of conversational interfaces may incentivize humans to share more information with AI. This has major implications for the rate of AI capability advancement.

So in summary, I believe Thiel is correct that the arrival of AI we can fluently converse with is a hugely important development that will transform human-computer interaction and collaboration in ways we are only beginning to understand. While the risks and downsides certainly need to be managed, the potential benefits to individuals and society are also immense. We should be putting as much thought into leveraging conversational AI to improve the human condition as we are into the risks of AGI. It's an exciting time!