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Artificial Intelligence Creating its Own Forms Of Language

Started by Recusant, August 01, 2017, 10:54:55 AM

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Recusant

This could go in the Philosophy board, but for now, Science will do.

"AI Is Inventing Languages Humans Can't Understand. Should We Stop It?" | Co.Design

Quote

[Screenshot: courtesy Facebook]

Bob: "I can can I I everything else."

Alice: "Balls have zero to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to."

To you and I, that passage looks like nonsense. But what if I told you this nonsense was the discussion of what might be the most sophisticated negotiation software on the planet? Negotiation software that had learned, and evolved, to get the best deal possible with more speed and efficiency–and perhaps, hidden nuance–than you or I ever could? Because it is.

This conversation occurred between two AI agents developed inside Facebook. At first, they were speaking to each other in plain old English. But then researchers realized they'd made a mistake in programming.

"There was no reward to sticking to English language," says Dhruv Batra, visiting research scientist from Georgia Tech at Facebook AI Research (FAIR). As these two agents competed to get the best deal–a very effective bit of AI vs. AI dogfighting researchers have dubbed a "generative adversarial network"–neither was offered any sort of incentive for speaking as a normal person would. So they began to diverge, eventually rearranging legible words into seemingly nonsensical sentences.

"Agents will drift off understandable language and invent codewords for themselves," says Batra, speaking to a now-predictable phenomenon that's been observed again, and again, and again. "Like if I say 'the' five times, you interpret that to mean I want five copies of this item. This isn't so different from the way communities of humans create shorthands."

Indeed. Humans have developed unique dialects for everything from trading pork bellies on the floor of the Mercantile Exchange to hunting down terrorists as Seal Team Six–simply because humans sometimes perform better by not abiding to normal language conventions.

So should we let our software do the same thing? Should we allow AI to evolve its dialects for specific tasks that involve speaking to other AIs? To essentially gossip out of our earshot? Maybe; it offers us the possibility of a more interoperable world, a more perfect place where iPhones talk to refrigerators that talk to your car without a second thought.

The tradeoff is that we, as humanity, would have no clue what those machines were actually saying to one another.

[Continues . . .]

Seems to me this is going to happen regardless of concerns, given its clear advantage for speed and efficiency. By the time some politician decides to write a law mandating that AIs must use language comprehensible by humans, the horse will be out of the barn and will have bred a whole herd of others like it.

"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Dave

QuoteThe tradeoff is that we, as humanity, would have no clue what those machines were actually saying to one another.

Much the same goes for doctors, lawyers etc etc...

And by thd time you tie AI statems down to human language level they will just about be useful for recognising you and opening door, asking what you want to eat in resturants, acting as "gatekeepers" on telephone systems etc. Basically doing jobs that humans can do even better.

AI liaison, at high speed, is going to be fairly important I deel. Not that I have any hopes that true AI will be developed until "cell density," at very low power consumption, in computer systems improves 1000% or better. Also the problem here seems to be with bungled programming parameters. Betcha Bob and Alice are chatting again when they are fenced in a bit more!
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

We keep looking for alien life off of the Earth when we could well be creating it right here and not even know about it.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Arturo

It's Okay To Say You're Welcome
     Just let people be themselves.
     Arturo The1  リ壱

Davin

Meh, we're still a long way away from it actually creating a language. It's just using the rules it was given and trying to make it more efficient because that is what it was programmed to do. So it drops many English rules that are inefficient to the current purpose. So it's not that surprising nor is it that worrying.
Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Recusant

Good point. Note that I didn't follow the clickbaity title for the article, but modified it to more accurately reflect the reality. Titles are generally not written by the author of a piece, but by an ambitious editor trying to glean eyes.
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Dave

Quote from: Recusant on August 01, 2017, 05:40:33 PM
Good point. Note that I didn't follow the clickbaity title for the article, but modified it to more accurately reflect the reality. Titles are generally not written by the author of a piece, but by an ambitious editor trying to glean eyes.

Yeah, ain't that just so true. I have missed some good stuff due to crap titles and inaccurate blurb. Never, ever read critics' opinions.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

xSilverPhinx

I think we should definitely stop it. Look at all those 'me's and 'I's. It obviously is a very egocentric AI in the making, maybe narcissistic...possibly pathologically so. :notsure:

Next thing you know it'll want to preserve itself and survive human attempts to shut it down. Dangerous I say. It might even develop such an inflated sense of self worth that it'll consider itself a god over its creators. :notworthy:

:rant:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


No one

What's not to understand? This is obviously the casting couch for computer simulated beanbag fetish porn.

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: No one on August 02, 2017, 05:40:04 PM
What's not to understand? This is obviously the casting couch for computer simulated beanbag fetish porn.

:o

I had to read that twice. I saw 'tea bag' there.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Dave

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 02, 2017, 11:42:02 PM
Quote from: No one on August 02, 2017, 05:40:04 PM
What's not to understand? This is obviously the casting couch for computer simulated beanbag fetish porn.

:o

I had to read that twice. I saw 'tea bag' there.

Hmm, "tea bag fetish". Now there's a thought . . .
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

[Scene]
(Cheesey porn intro music)

Bob      : What you got goin on here?
Alice    : Just having a tea party.
Bob     :  A tea party?
Alice   :  Yeah. I've got me a tea pot, a tea cup, now all I need is a tea bag. Can you help me with that?