[katzenversteher]

I bet a token like "sht!", "f*" or "damn!" would have the same or even stronger effect but the LLM creators would not like to have the users read them

[raducu]

It's literally in the article, they measured it and wait was the best token

[ascorbic]

Maybe, but it doesn't just use it to signify that it's made a mistake. It also uses it in a positive way, such as it's had a lightbulb moment. Of course some people use expletives in the same way, but that would be less common than for mistakes.

[lodovic]

I think you're onto something, however, as the training is done through on text and not actual thoughts, it may take some experimentation to find these stronger words.