Does AI Sulk at Counting?

Six days ago, in the wee hours at a 24/7 neighborhood coffeeshop, I spotted the unsightly aftermath of a chain-smoker’s bad habit. Below is a shot of its dirty floor:

While sipping my tea, it crossed my mind to convert that Ugly Singaporean’s behavior into a math question in the form of a haiku.

I crafted the maiku tongue-in-cheek and X-ed the following:

The Ugly Singaporean

Migrant worker’s toil—

Count the butts strewn on the floor,

Shameful act exposed.

A few days later, for no reason, I was prompted to ask AI for the number of cigarette butts on the floor.

Below are the exchanges or arguments I had with my virtual math teacher.

At 26, I decided to end the conversation, albeit I believed that with some persuasion I’d have tricked AI to agree with me that the answer could be 10π.

Now, it’s your turn to tell us the exact number of butts, by outsmarting AI. What’s the correct answer?

Humanly yours

© Yan Kow Cheong, June 29, 2025.