I am really trying to see how any rational or sane person does not understand that they are talking to a computer.

They are not rational. They need help. They got the opposite, instead.

I know a few "rational" average men and women who know nothing about computers, and talk to their AI as if it was a human being. It's a very thin line between "yes I know it's a computer" and "it's a talking application which makes it almost human and let's forget about this detail." Those people are not religious or something. You could compare it with someone who shouts at his TV because his hero is about to do something stupid. They know it's fake, but deep down they react as if it was real.

you seriously underestimate how badly SO MANY people understand anything technological. Getting the pc on and logging in is probably an achievement to some. And so many seem completely incapable of learning or even being curious about how things work. They wouldnt understand to "not keep history" or even that there might be settings to the thing. And add some mental illness to the mix and you get complete disaster.

All they see is a thing that responds to what they write in intelligent seeming way and that is enough to convince them that its completely sentient, some probably doubt the people who keep telling them that its not. Maybe some even think they are being lied to when told llm isnt sentient. Even if you added some mandatory notification that tells that llm isnt sentient, some still wouldnt believe it.

Those memories aren’t strong enough for this shit.

I've come to realize that the depths of incapability of critical thinking is at a critical low amongst the delusional religious.