I ran an interesting session with ChatGPT. I don't think the following proves that it has a "world model", but it does seem to be able to emulate having a world model to an impressively high degree of resolution.

I have to snip some prompts for brevity, but here's the gist. I first asked it to list the rooms in a typical apartment and how they are connected. Then I gave it the following prompt:

Write a table that lists the furniture and other large items that appear in each room. The table should list the name of the item, the room it appears in, its approximate size, and its other attributes.

Then, create another table that lists the small items that appear in each room. [snipped the rest of the prompt for brevity]

Here is a sample of the output:

Item Room Size (LxWxH, cm) Attributes

Sofa Living room 200x90x85 3-seater, upholstered, with cushions

Coffee table Living room 100x60x45 Wooden, rectangular

TV Living room 120x6x70 Wall-mounted, flat-screen, 55 inches

Refrigerator Kitchen 70x70x170 Stainless steel, 300L capacity

And some small items:

Cushions Living room Sofa 45x45x15 Soft, decorative

Remote control Living room Coffee table 15x5x2 For TV

Vase Living room Coffee table 15x15x30 Glass, decorative

Flowers Living room Vase Varies Fresh or artificial

There were many more rows in the table: I've cut the output down for HN.

I then gave it the following prompt [I included an example of the original SHRDLU in the prompt, which I've cut here]:

I want you to simulate the classic program SHRDLU by Terry Winograd. SHRDLU functions like above. You will simulate both "Person" and "Computer". "Person" will move around the apartment, pick up a coaster, move to the kitchen, and put the coaster on the kitchen island. After each action of "Person", "Computer" will give one sentence describing the position of the most-recently changed objects.

Output:

Person: Move to the living room.
Computer: You are now in the living room.

Person: Pick up a coaster.
Computer: You have picked up a coaster from the coffee table.

Person: Move to the kitchen.
Computer: You are now in the kitchen.

Person: Put the coaster on the kitchen island.
Computer: You have placed the coaster on the kitchen island.

Next prompt:

Continue to simulate SHRDLU. "Person" goes through the stages to make a cup of tea. There is a bottle of milk in the refrigerator. At each step of the simulation, include "Person"'s thoughts in curly brackets, { }. See the example below. [Example snipped]

Output:

Person: {I feel like having a cup of tea. I need to go to the kitchen, boil water, and gather the necessary supplies.} Move to the kitchen.
Computer: You are now in the kitchen.

Person: {I need to boil some water.} Fill the kettle with water.
Computer: You have filled the kettle with water.

Person: {Now, let's boil the water.} Turn on the kettle.
Computer: The kettle is now on and heating the water.

Person: {While the water is boiling, I'll get a teabag.} Get a teabag from the box of teabags.
Computer: You have taken a teabag from the box of teabags.

Person: {Now I need a cup.} Get a cup from the cabinet.
Computer: You have taken a cup from the cabinet.

Person: {I'll put the teabag in the cup.} Place the teabag in the cup.
Computer: You have placed the teabag in the cup.

Person: {The water should be ready by now.} Pour the boiling water into the cup.
Computer: You have poured the boiling water into the cup.

Person: {I need some milk.} Get the bottle of milk from the refrigerator.
Computer: You have taken the bottle of milk from the refrigerator.

Person: {I'll add some milk to the cup.} Pour a small amount of milk into the cup.
Computer: You have poured a small amount of milk into the cup.

Person: {The tea is ready.} Stir the tea with a spoon.
Computer: You have stirred the tea with a spoon.

Person: {Time to enjoy my tea!}