[dpark]

Eh, I’ve seen it. I’m not entirely sure it’s entirely wrong either. Humans are certainly more than just next token predictors but it’s not clear that our typical language behavior is significantly different. We call it “stream of consciousness” when we just spew words out without thinking and that seems to be the default operating mode.

[krapp]

Given the fact that large language models are trained on human language, it shouldn't be surprising that the text they output resembles human language. That is what they're designed to do after all. But similarity in output doesn't necessarily map to similarity in process.

And it seem obvious to me that language behavior does differ significantly between humans and LLMs based on the frequency and nature of failure states. LLMs routinely hallucinate, or get "AI strokes" or get obsessed about not talking about goblins, etc. This isn't typical language behavior for humans unless they have severe neurological or psychological impairment.

People tend not to "spew words out without thinking" and certainly not all the time by default - we call that glossolalia and (outside of some fringe Christian sects) it's considered a "bug" not a "feature" of the human brain. Human language by default always has intent behind it, even if that intent isn't readily apparent to the speaker. People can recite by rote memory, but that isn't blind token prediction, it's the neurological equivalent of muscle memory. People can have conversations then forget about them because their attention was focused elsewhere, but that doesn't indicate that they were simply "spewing words out without thinking" at the time.

[dpark]

> LLMs routinely hallucinate, or get "AI strokes" or get obsessed about not talking about goblins, etc. This isn't typical language behavior for humans unless they have severe neurological or psychological impairment.

People imagine details all the time. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously untrustworthy.

Our brains seem wired to confidently fill in gaps. We all have a literal blind spot we aren’t aware of because our brains convincingly lie to us and fill in the gap.

I don’t know what an “AI stroke” is, but I’ve definitely seen human beings in good health be in the middle of talking and suddenly forget what they are going to say.

> People tend not to "spew words out without thinking" and certainly not all the time by default - we call that glossolalia and (outside of some fringe Christian sects) it's considered a "bug" not a "feature" of the human brain.

Glossolalia is spouting gibberish, not comprehensible speech.

Kind of weird that you speak so confidently when you don’t apparently know the difference between steam of consciousness and “speaking in tongues”. Almost like you’re AI hallucinating.