4 ms·

Agreed. The machine is biased because biased humans are training it to be biased.

troupe 9y ago
Well I think some of it has to do with the fact that language is not completely symmetrical (there may be a better word). For example, the following sentences: 1. They went to college. 2. They went to the University of Phoenix. The fact you are calling out UoP may turn out to be used more in slightly less positive sentiments than the first one. If you are trying to figure out the sentiment of a few sentences, this might be important. Yes you can ignore it, but the question is whether you are trying to understand how the language is actually being used or not.
- elliotec 9y ago
  True again - biased humans creating biased machines asking biased questions and receiving biased answers.
  - troupe 9y ago
    Keep in mind this wasn't an analysis of whether people liked men or women in the lead role. It was basically pointing out that one statement was a little more likely to be more strongly positive than the other. So you think asking what level of positive (or negative) sentiment does this review express is a biased question?
- yorwba 9y ago
  A real-world example: 交大不如复旦 [jiāodà bùrú fùdàn] gets translated as "Jiaotong University is not as good as Fudan University" by Google https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%... 复旦不如交大 [fùdàn bùrú jiāodà] (just swapping the word order) is translated into "Fudan is better than Jiaotong University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%... The literal translation of 不如 would be "is unlike", but usually it implies a value judgment. In the translation, Google seems to be consistently sure that Fudan is simply better. But when you specify that you're talking about the Jiaotong University in Shanghai and not one of the others, it suddenly changes its mind: 上海交大不如复旦 [shànghǎi jiāodà bùrú fùdàn] "Shanghai Jiaotong University is better than Fudan University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%... 复旦不如上海交大 [fùdàn bùrú shànghǎi jiāodà] "Fudan is not as good as Shanghai Jiaotong University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%... I'm at SJTU and everyone here seems to agree that this is the objective truth, but the people at Fudan are probably not so happy about it.
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    Unfortunately begging the questions: in what ways and how much? And most importantly: is the difference meaningful? Google Translate and most other alleged artificial intelligence won't be able to answer that question meaningfully.
  - nmca 9y ago
    This is a really excellent example.
  - iguy 9y ago
    This is a great example. It's like an exam question where you have to know what the teacher is thinking. Notice that in "Fudan is better than Jiaotong University" you're supposed to know that Fudan is another place with a university, not (say) a kind of apprenticeship... or a joke about some kind of noodles or something. You're supposed to have some outside context, but not too much, not enough to know their reputations. That's quite a fine line to ask a translation system to draw.

Well I think some of it has to do with the fact that language is not completely symmetrical (there may be a better word). For example, the following sentences: 1. They went to college. 2. They went to the University of Phoenix. The fact you are calling out UoP may turn out to be used more in slightly less positive sentiments than the first one. If you are trying to figure out the sentiment of a few sentences, this might be important. Yes you can ignore it, but the question is whether you are trying to understand how the language is actually being used or not.

elliotec 9y ago
True again - biased humans creating biased machines asking biased questions and receiving biased answers.
- troupe 9y ago
  Keep in mind this wasn't an analysis of whether people liked men or women in the lead role. It was basically pointing out that one statement was a little more likely to be more strongly positive than the other. So you think asking what level of positive (or negative) sentiment does this review express is a biased question?
yorwba 9y ago
A real-world example: 交大不如复旦 [jiāodà bùrú fùdàn] gets translated as "Jiaotong University is not as good as Fudan University" by Google https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%... 复旦不如交大 [fùdàn bùrú jiāodà] (just swapping the word order) is translated into "Fudan is better than Jiaotong University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%... The literal translation of 不如 would be "is unlike", but usually it implies a value judgment. In the translation, Google seems to be consistently sure that Fudan is simply better. But when you specify that you're talking about the Jiaotong University in Shanghai and not one of the others, it suddenly changes its mind: 上海交大不如复旦 [shànghǎi jiāodà bùrú fùdàn] "Shanghai Jiaotong University is better than Fudan University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%... 复旦不如上海交大 [fùdàn bùrú shànghǎi jiāodà] "Fudan is not as good as Shanghai Jiaotong University" https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%A6%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%A4%E5%A4%A7 https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#auto/en/%E5%A4%8D%E6%97%... I'm at SJTU and everyone here seems to agree that this is the objective truth, but the people at Fudan are probably not so happy about it.
- AstralStorm 9y ago
  Unfortunately begging the questions: in what ways and how much? And most importantly: is the difference meaningful? Google Translate and most other alleged artificial intelligence won't be able to answer that question meaningfully.
- nmca 9y ago
  This is a really excellent example.
- iguy 9y ago
  This is a great example. It's like an exam question where you have to know what the teacher is thinking. Notice that in "Fudan is better than Jiaotong University" you're supposed to know that Fudan is another place with a university, not (say) a kind of apprenticeship... or a joke about some kind of noodles or something. You're supposed to have some outside context, but not too much, not enough to know their reputations. That's quite a fine line to ask a translation system to draw.