I remember sitting in a lecture about morality and the law. (My memory doesn't serve me well, but here it goes).
The professor lectured about natural law, and how rationality derives from morality and conscious, which only humans can experience. I've been asking myself "are AI language models rationale?" And I know the answer is no, but it's been difficult for me to explain why this is.
Your thought experiment helps me find the words. Language AIs recognize patterns. But it's up to us humans to exercise our agency to question the patterns, to recognize the lines between good and evil. I still cannot give an eloquent answer, but I'll use my own brain instead of ChatGPTing the words ;)
Lovely essay! I'd also add that the fact that LLMs "lie" can lead us to weird conclusions if we think of them as sentient beings, where lying is seen as bad, whereas if we think of them as indeterministic processors, this is something that can be solved by adding more layers (eg get another LLM call to ask if this is truthful, to check it vs sources etc).
Packard Goose is so perfect as theme song here it makes me weep! :)
Another awesome piece out of this series, Helen. And the best thing is, there's no end in sight! This is such a complex, intricate, obscure space that your writing is going to serve as a feeble flame to light the way around it.
You keep surprising me with both your content AND your music choices. :)
"I know this sounds corny, but I still feel the urge to say it:
The only truth engine we have, for now and perhaps ever, is ourselves."
Um, no. That's definitely not corny. I found myself nodding along to so much of what you were saying. This was a BANGER of an essay.
I'll be coming back to read it again because it was such a joy for my brain 😌
And digging the Zappa song
I remember sitting in a lecture about morality and the law. (My memory doesn't serve me well, but here it goes).
The professor lectured about natural law, and how rationality derives from morality and conscious, which only humans can experience. I've been asking myself "are AI language models rationale?" And I know the answer is no, but it's been difficult for me to explain why this is.
Your thought experiment helps me find the words. Language AIs recognize patterns. But it's up to us humans to exercise our agency to question the patterns, to recognize the lines between good and evil. I still cannot give an eloquent answer, but I'll use my own brain instead of ChatGPTing the words ;)
Lovely essay! I'd also add that the fact that LLMs "lie" can lead us to weird conclusions if we think of them as sentient beings, where lying is seen as bad, whereas if we think of them as indeterministic processors, this is something that can be solved by adding more layers (eg get another LLM call to ask if this is truthful, to check it vs sources etc).
Packard Goose is so perfect as theme song here it makes me weep! :)
Another awesome piece out of this series, Helen. And the best thing is, there's no end in sight! This is such a complex, intricate, obscure space that your writing is going to serve as a feeble flame to light the way around it.
You keep surprising me with both your content AND your music choices. :)