this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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Language is a method for encoding human thought. Mastery of language is mastery of human thought. The problem is, predictive text heuristics don't have mastery of language and they cannot predict desired output
Many languages lack words for certain concepts. For example, english lacks a word for the joy you feel at another's pain. You have to go to Germany in order to name Schadenfreude. However, English is perfectly capable of describing what schadenfreude is. I sometimes become nonverbal due to my autism. In the moment, there is no way I could possibly describe what I am feeling. But that is a limitation of my temporarily panicked mind, not a limitation of language itself. Sufficiently gifted writers and poets have described things once thought indescribable. I believe language can describe anything with a book long enough and a writer skilled enough.
I'm not a native English speaker so I might be wrong, but isn't "sadism" also covers "schadenfreude"?
No, schaudenfreude is an emotion, sadism is a personality trait
I thought this was an inciteful comment. Language is a kind of 'view' (in the model view controller sense) of intelligence. It signifies a thought or meme. But, language is imprecise and flawed. It's a poor representation since it can be misinterpreted or distorted. I wonder if language based AIs are inherently flawed, too.
Edit: grammar, ironically
Language based AIs will always carry the biases of the language they speak. I am certain a properly trained bilingual AI would be smarter than a monolingual AI of the same skill level
"Mastery of language is mastery of human thought." is easy to prove false.
The current batch of AIs is an excellent data point. These things are very good at language, and they still can't even count.
The average celebrity provides evidence that it is false. People who excel at science often suck at talking, and vice-versa.
We didn't talk our way to the moon.
Even when these LLMs master language, it's not evidence that they're doing any actual thinking, yet.
I think the current batch of AIs and the Kardashians are bad at using language