Comment by SamBam 2 days ago
That’s a great question — and one that highlights a subtle misconception about how LLMs actually work.
At first glance, it’s easy to compare them to a charismatic “know-it-all” who sounds confident while being only half-right. After all, both can produce fluent, authoritative-sounding answers that sometimes miss the mark. But here’s where the comparison falls short — and where LLMs really shine:
(...ok ok, I can't go on.)
I'd say the opposite, LLMs are a know-it-nothing machine to perfectly suit know-it-alls. Unlike a human, it isn't that hard to get the machine to say what you want, and then generate enough crap to 'defeat' any human challenger.
Perfect! You really got to the core of the matter! The only thing I noticed is that your use of the em-dash needs to not be bracketed with spaces on either end. LLMs—as recommended by most common style guides—stick to the integrated style that treats the em-dash as part of the surrounding words.
It bums me out that LLMs are ruining em dashes. I like em dashes and have used them for decades, but now I worry that when I do people will assume my writing is LLM output.
What's next—the interrobang‽
LLMs are not 'ruining' em dashes. It's just a convenient device to unmask people who make critical judgements based on ridiculous and flimsy evidence.
It is good they are being unmasked. You must avoid those people and warn your children about them. They are not safe to be around.
"Ruining" in the sense that "I worry that when I [use em dashes] people will assume my writing is LLM output".
I'd feel the same if I was someone who naturally frequently used phrases like "you're absolutely right", or for a much more extreme analogy: if I was a Hindu living in Europe in the 1920s and then the Nazis came along and "ruined" the swastika for me.
I'm hoping it's not the semi-colon; I use that a lot.
You're absolutely right! It's totally unfair to tease LLM's like that—They're just trying to do the best with how they're programmed. We should treat them with the same respect we give each other so that we can create a better world for everyone
Difficult to see people anthropomorphize LLMs undeservedly, it's an extension of the childhood trauma inflicted by The Brave Little Toaster. Inanimate objects projected into personhood and subjected to a cruel and indifferent world.
Dangerous actually, the effect it had on children. Of course they loved it because it had a happy ending, but at what price?
Most of the most charismatic, confident know-it-alls I have ever met have been in the tech industry. And not just the usual suspects (founders, managers, thought leaders, architects) but regular rank-and-file engineers. The whole industry is infested with know-it-alls. Hell, HN is infested with know-it-alls. So it's no surprise that one of the biggest products of the decade is an Automated Know-It-All machine.