People interested in how ChatBots are developing may be interested ion the article, which also discusses the value of DEIR issues as an alternative perspective in assessing the news.

- Ralph

Language Is a Poor Heuristic For Intelligence
With the emergence of LLM “AI”, everyone will have to learn something many disabled people have always understood

In psychology, the word ‘heuristic’ refers to a kind of mental shortcut, an equivalency that people make in order to assist with a rapid evaluation or decision. A typical heuristic might be a simplified attribute standing in for a more complex one, or a perceptible characteristic standing in for a hidden one. Idiomatically, you might call it a ‘rule of thumb’.

We need heuristics, because the world is incredibly complex, and if we didn’t simplify our mental models we’d never be able to make a decision about anything. But the risk with any heuristic is that salient, even essential points can get lost in the simplification and substitution, leading to a false outcome.

“Language skill indicates intelligence,” and its logical inverse, “lack of language skill indicates non-intelligence,” is a common heuristic with a long history. It is also a terrible one, inaccurate in a way that ruinously injures disabled people. Now, with recent advances in computing technology, we’re watching this heuristic fail in ways that will harm almost everyone.

The complete article is at
https://karawynn.substack.com/p/language-is-a-poor-heuristic-for?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
ralph**At_Symbol_Here**rstuartcih.org

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