Why are you Imagining, Mr ChatGPT?

Hey there! You know how people daydream and imagine wild, unrealistic ideas?

Well, AI, particularly language models, do the same.

Yes, that's a thing!

In the tech world, we call these instances 'hallucinations'.

Intrigued?

Let's dive right in!

What's Going On With These "Hallucinations"?

Think of AI as a parrot. It echoes what it's been taught, but does it really understand?

Not quite.

Here's why:

1. Copycats Without a Clue

An AI that's been fed a steady diet of news, blogs, and social media can produce some amazing, yet sometimes off-kilter, stuff.

Just like parrots, they're great at mimicking, but sometimes they don't really understand what they're saying!

2. The Clueless Know-it-All

AIs can sound pretty smart, but they can have knowledge gaps.

It's like an armchair detective basing theories on crime novels. They might have a good grasp of fictional crime-solving but could miss real-world nuances, like understanding motives or suspect behavior.

So, why does AI drift off into La-La Land?

A. The Overachiever Problem:

Relying too much on its training data can land AI in a bit of a pickle.

It can get so wrapped up in the patterns it's learned that it might trip up when hit with something new or uncharted.

Picture a language translation AI, mainly trained on diplomatic treaties and corporate reports.

Suddenly, it's asked to translate a casual conversation filled with teen slang and trendy catchphrases.

The AI might render 'What's up, dude?' into a formal 'How do you do, sir?', making the dialogue hilariously out of touch!

Think of a customer service chatbot trained to handle common support queries. If faced with a highly emotional customer venting frustrations and seeking empathy, the chatbot's pre-programmed responses may come across as robotic and lacking genuine understanding, failing to address the customer's emotional needs effectively.

B. Lost in Translation

AI can struggle with the complexity and ambiguity of language.

Think about Siri or Alexa. If you've ever asked them something like, "Where can I get some grub?" instead of "Where's the nearest restaurant?" you might have gotten some unexpected answers, like listings for pest control services!

Just like playing a game of "telephone" where a message is passed from one person to another, AI models can experience similar breakdowns in communication. Each step of processing and interpretation introduces the potential for errors or misalignment, leading to comical and nonsensical outputs.

C. The Bad Company

AI, like a kid, can pick up bad habits from biased or incorrect data.

For instance, an AI trained on action movies might only write stories with male heroes!

So what can we do about it? -

Well we have some tricks up our sleeves. Sharing that in our next article.

Stay Tuned.