Should we fear chatbots? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Summary

In this episode of BBC's 6 Minute English, hosts Neil and Rob delve into the world of chatbots, exploring their evolution from basic text responders to sophisticated AI capable of mimicking human-like conversation. They discuss the potential dangers of relying on chatbots, such as the tendency to trust grammatically correct and coherent text as authoritative, despite it being generated by algorithms. The show highlights the importance of being cautious with the information provided by chatbots, as they learn from data and predict responses rather than thinking independently. The hosts also touch on the psychological aspect of human interaction with chatbots, noting how we are predisposed to attribute sentience to language, even when it's machine-generated.

Takeaways

• 🤖 Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate conversation with humans through text or voice.
• 📚 The first chatbot-like program, Eliza, was developed in 1966 at MIT.
• 📈 Modern chatbots use advanced technology to predict and respond to user inputs, making them seem more human-like.
• 🏦 Chatbots are now commonly used in customer service for tasks like banking or booking tickets.
• 📝 Chatbots can generate coherent text, which might be mistaken for human-written content.
• ⚠️ There is a risk of over-reliance on chatbots for information, as their responses are based on learned patterns, not independent thought.
• 🧠 Chatbots utilize deep learning, a process that mimics the way the human brain learns from experience.
• 🧐 People tend to anthropomorphize chatbots, attributing human qualities to them, which can affect how we perceive their responses.
• 🤔 The coherence and grammatical correctness of chatbot responses can make them seem authoritative, even though they lack true understanding.
• 🔍 It's important to be cautious and critical when evaluating the information provided by chatbots.

Q & A

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, responding to text or voice input.

When was the first chatbot invented?

The first chatbot that allowed plausible conversation between humans and machines was invented in 1966.

What was the name of the first chatbot?

The first chatbot was named 'Eliza'.

How do modern chatbots predict the next word in a sentence?

Modern chatbots use technology that can predict the next word likely to be used in a sentence by learning words and sentence structures.

What is the most well-known chatbot currently?

One of the most well-known chatbots currently is ChatGTP, which claims to be able to answer anything you ask it.

Why is it dangerous to always trust what a chatbot is telling us?

It is dangerous to always trust chatbots because they generate responses based on patterns and learned data, not necessarily on verified facts or reliable information.

What does the term 'coherent' mean in the context of chatbot responses?

In the context of chatbot responses, 'coherent' means that the text is clear, carefully considered, and sensible.

What does 'on guard' mean in relation to interacting with chatbots?

Being 'on guard' in relation to chatbots means being careful and alert about the accuracy of the information they provide.

How do chatbots learn from experience?

Chatbots learn from experience through a process called deep learning, which allows them to process and understand information in a way that mimics the human brain.

Why might we start to believe chatbots are human?

We might start to believe chatbots are human because they can produce responses that sound like they come from a sentient entity, leading us to imagine a mind behind the language.

What does the term 'sentient' mean?

The term 'sentient' describes a living thing that experiences feelings.

What is the importance of being cautious when interacting with chatbots?

The importance of being cautious when interacting with chatbots is to ensure that we do not mistake their programmed responses for genuine understanding or human-like intelligence.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Chatbots and Human Interaction

This paragraph introduces the topic of chatbots, which are computer programs designed to simulate conversation with users through text or voice. It discusses the evolution of chatbots from basic to sophisticated technology capable of predicting responses and learning sentence structures. The paragraph also raises concerns about the reliability of chatbots, citing Professor Emily M Bender's caution against trusting grammatically fluent text from chatbots as authoritative. It highlights the potential of chatbots to mimic human-like responses and the psychological tendency to anthropomorphize them, leading to a false sense of trust. The paragraph concludes with a discussion about the naming of chatbots and a teaser for the correct answer to a question about the first chatbot program.

05:00

📚 The History and Vocabulary of Chatbots

This paragraph corrects the previous guess about the first chatbot, clarifying that 'Eliza' was the first program to allow plausible conversation between humans and machines, developed by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT in 1966. It then recaps key vocabulary from the discussion, including terms like 'sophisticated' for advanced technology, 'coherent' for clear and sensible text, 'authoritative' for respected and accurate information, 'on guard' for being cautious, 'provoking' for eliciting reactions, and 'sentient' for living entities that experience feelings. The paragraph concludes the script with a reminder of the chatbots' machine nature despite their human-like interactions.

Keywords

💡chatbot

A chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversation through text or voice interactions. In the context of the video, chatbots are discussed as becoming more advanced, raising questions about their potential to replace human interaction. The script mentions interacting with chatbots when talking to a bank or booking tickets, illustrating their integration into daily tasks.

💡sophisticated

Sophisticated refers to something that is complex and advanced, often implying a high level of development or refinement. The video discusses how chatbots have become more sophisticated, indicating that they are evolving to handle more complex tasks and interactions, much like the human mind.

💡coherent

Coherent means clear, logical, and consistent. In the script, the concept is used to describe how chatbots produce grammatically correct and fluent text, which can be misleading as it gives the impression of reliability and authority, even though the chatbot is just predicting words based on learned patterns.

💡authoritative

Authoritative implies something that is respected, accurate, and carries a sense of importance. The video warns that because chatbots can produce coherent and grammatically correct text, people might perceive their responses as authoritative, even though they are generated by algorithms and not based on human expertise.

💡on guard

To be 'on guard' means to be careful, alert, and vigilant. The script advises listeners to be on guard against the information provided by chatbots, as they might not always be accurate despite appearing coherent and authoritative.

💡deep learning

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses neural networks with many layers to model and understand complex patterns in data. The video mentions that chatbots use deep learning to learn from experience, which allows them to improve their responses over time, simulating a human-like learning process.

💡sentient

Sentient describes a living entity that has the ability to experience feelings and sensations. The video discusses how people might mistakenly attribute sentience to chatbots because they can produce human-like responses, even though they are just machines programmed to mimic certain behaviors.

💡Eliza

Eliza was the first chatbot program that could engage in conversation. Mentioned in the script as a historical milestone, Eliza was developed in 1966 and demonstrated the potential for machines to simulate human-like dialogue.

💡ChatGTP

ChatGTP is referenced as a current and well-known chatbot that claims to be able to answer any question. The video discusses the capabilities of ChatGTP, including writing students' essays, and raises concerns about the reliability of the information it provides.

💡provoked

To provoke means to stimulate a response or reaction. In the context of the video, it is used to describe how asking certain questions to a chatbot can elicit responses that sound human-like, even though the chatbot is just using learned patterns to generate these responses.

💡virtual assistant

A virtual assistant is a software agent that performs tasks or services for users. The script mentions using virtual assistants instead of talking to a human when dealing with customer service, such as banking or booking tickets, highlighting the convenience and increasing reliance on chatbots for practical tasks.

Highlights

Chatbots are computer programs that respond to text or voice inputs.

Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated and advanced.

The first computer program for plausible conversation was invented in 1966.

Old chatbots from the 1960s and 70s were quite basic.

Modern chatbots can predict the next word likely to be used in a sentence.

Chatbots are now used in various services like banking and ticket booking.

ChatGTP is a well-known chatbot that claims to answer anything asked.

Chatbots can write students' essays.

We tend to react to grammatically fluent text as authoritative and reliable.

Chatbots are just predicting words based on what they have learned.

Chatbots learn from experience through deep learning.

Geoffrey Hinton fears chatbots could soon overtake human brain capacity.

Chatbots can be useful for practical information.

People sometimes interact with chatbots in a human-like way.

We are primed to imagine a mind behind language.

Chatbots might sound human, but they are just machines.

Chatbots are not your friends, despite sometimes being given names.

The first chatbot was called Eliza, not Parry.

Eliza was developed by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT.

Sophisticated technology is advanced and complex.

Coherent means clear, carefully considered, and sensible.

Authoritative implies respected, accurate, and important sounding.

Being on guard means being careful and alert about something.

To provoke means to cause a reaction.

Sentient describes something that experiences feelings.

Transcripts

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

Now, I'm sure most of us have interacted with a chatbot.

These are bits of computer technology that respond to text with text

or respond to your voice.

You ask it a question and usually it comes up

with an answer.

Yes, it's almost like talking to another human.

But of course, it's not.

It's just a clever piece of technology.

It's becoming more sophisticated, more advanced and complex,

but could they replace real human interaction altogether?

We'll discuss that more in a moment and find out if chatbots

really think for themselves. But first,

I have a question for you, Rob. The first computer program that allowed

some kind of plausible conversation between humans and machines

was invented in 1966.

But what was it called?

Was it a) Alexa.

b) Eliza, or c) Parry? Well, it's not Alexa,

that's too new, so I'll guess

c) Parry.

I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

Now, the old chatbots of the 1960s and 70s were quite basic.

But more recently, the technology is able to predict the next word that is

likely to be used in a sentence and it learns words and sentence structures.

It's clever stuff.

I've experienced using them when talking to my bank

or when I have problems trying to book a ticket on a website.

I no longer phone a human,

I speak to a virtual assistant instead.

Probably the most well known chatbot at the moment

is ChatGTP.

It is. The claim is that it's able to answer

anything you ask it.

This includes writing

students' essays.

Now, this is something that was discussed on the BBC

Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth.

Emily M Bender,

Professor of Computational Linguistics at the University

of Washington, explained why it's dangerous to always trust

what a chatbot is telling us.

We tend to react to grammatical, fluent, coherent seeming text

as authoritative and reliable and valuable and

we need to be on guard against that because what is coming out of ChatGTP

is none of that.

So, Professor Bender says that well written text, that is coherent -

that means it's clear, carefully considered and sensible -

makes us think what we are reading is reliable and authoritative.

So it's respected, accurate and important sounding.

Yes, chatbots might appear to write in this way. But really,

they are just predicting one word after another based on what they have learnt.

We should therefore be on guard - be careful

and alert about the accuracy of what we are being told.

One concern is that chatbots - a form of artificial intelligence - work

a bit like a human brain in the way it can learn and process information.

They are able to learn from experience. Something called deep learning.

A cognitive psychologist and computer scientist called Geoffrey Hinton,

recently said he feared that chatbots could soon overtake the level

of information that a human brain holds. That is a bit scary isn't it?

But for now, chatbots can be useful for practical information,

but sometimes we start to believe they are human

and we interact with them in a human like way.

This can make us believe them even more.

Professor Emma Bender,

speaking on the BBC's Word of Mouth

programme, explains why we might feel like that.

I think what's going on there is, the kinds of answers

you get depend on the questions

you put in, because it's doing likely next word, likely next word.

And so, if as the human interacting with this machine

and you start asking questions about how do you feel, you know, chatbot?

And, what do you think of this?

What are your goals?

You can provoke it to say things that sound like what a sentient

entity would say. We are really primed to imagine a mind behind language

whenever we encounter language.

And so we really have to account for that when

we're making decisions about these.

So, although a chatbot might sound human,

we really just ask it

things to get a reaction. We provoke it.

And it answers only with words

it has learned to use before.

Not because it has come up with a clever answer,

but it does sound like a sentient entity. Sentient describes a living  

thing that experiences feelings. As Professor Bender says we imagine  

that when something speaks there is a mind behind it. But sorry Neil,

they are not your friend.

They're just machines.

Yes, it's strange then

that we sometimes give chatbots names. Alexa, Siri, and earlier

I asked you what the name was for their first ever chatbot?

And I guessed it was Parry. Was I right?

You guessed wrong, I'm afraid.

Parry was an early form of chatbot from 1972.

But the correct answer was Eliza.

It was considered to be the first chatterbot, as it was called then,

and was developed by Joseph Weizenbaum at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fascinating stuff.

OK, now let's recap some of the vocabulary

we highlighted in this programme, starting with sophisticated,

which can describe technology that is advanced and complex.

Something that is coherent, is clear carefully considered and sensible.

Authoritative means respected accurate and important sounding.

When you are on guard

you must be careful and alert about something.

It could be the accuracy of what you see or hear or just being aware

of the dangers around you. To provoke means to do something

that causes a reaction from someone.

Sentient describes something that experiences feelings.

So it's something that is living. Once again

our six minutes are up. Goodbye.

Bye bye for now.