The Bar exam is NOT only multiple choice.

This is a real issue. Knowledge workers of every stripe will no longer be needed. You’ve all probably seen that GPT-4 passes the Bar exam at the 90th percentile. I see no good outcomes.

ChatGPT takes the middle ground on this question:

Me: Suppose a machine was able to accurately identify all aromas. Independent of how it was able to achieve that, would it be reasonable for humans to observe that the "machine can smell?"

GPT: It would depend on how one defines the term "smell." If we define "smell" as the ability to detect and identify odors, then a machine that is able to accurately identify all aromas could be considered to "smell" in a technical sense. However, if we define "smell" as a sensory experience that is unique to humans and other animals, then it would not be accurate to say that a machine can "smell" in the same way that humans can.
The ability to detect and identify odors is just one aspect of the complex sensory experience of smell that humans and animals have. Smell involves not only the detection of odor molecules but also the processing of this information by the brain to create a perception of smell that is unique to each individual. This involves the integration of multiple sensory inputs and the interpretation of this information in the context of past experiences and memories.
Therefore, while a machine may be able to identify odors with great accuracy, it cannot replicate the full sensory experience of smell that humans and animals have. So, while it may be technically accurate to say that a machine can "smell" in a limited sense, it would be important to clarify what we mean by the term and recognize the differences between a machine's ability to identify odors and the complex sensory experience of smell that humans and animals have.

Thanks. You're right. It indeed might get to exactly what you're suggesting. But for now though, the topic of smell is so unique, and separated from cognition, that I thought it might lead to an interesting discussion on its own. For me, I can't quite understand why I should care how it does it. If a machine can identify aromas, what is it that's stopping me from saying "it can smell?" If there's a difference in the process it uses, is that difference important? Why?

I wasn’t making an analogy. I was asking whether a machine that could identify smells would be regarded as having a “sense of smell.” My view is that I don’t think there’s much alternative. Happy to hear other ideas.

This joke kills when you tell it live. Never seen it fail. Key is intonation on the last two lines: "they gave you a chihuahua?" "they game me a chihuahua??," each in the same interrogative tone.

If a machine could correctly identify smells. Would it have a sense of smell?