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The only reason people don't like talking to computers in public is that it's distinguishable in an awkward way from talking to humans in public. That's not goi

The only reason people don't like talking to computers in public is that it's distinguishable in an awkward way from talking to humans in public. That's not going to be an issue for much longer. ChatGPT voice mode is about 99% of the way there. The only remaining issue is the cadence of the conversation -- you can't interrupt ChatGPT naturally, you have to press a button.

azinman2 3y ago
The issue is that your private communications are now audible by the people around you. It’s one thing when it’s to another person and you can whisper and share social context, it’s another when it’s at a good volume and contextless.
- ryanklee 3y ago
  These don't seem like real issues to me. They are the exact same issues you have when you are talking to humans. And the way we solve that issue with humans is that we only have conversations around other humans that we are comfortable having. We save sensitive conversations for when we are not in public.
  - azinman2 3y ago
    Except there’s no way to have a sensitive conversation on this device that isn’t spoken. With my phone I can. That’s part of my point.
    - ryanklee 3y ago
      You can talk through your earbud.
      - FridgeSeal 3y ago
        That solves nothing. The issues isn’t “communicating with the device” it’s “communicating around other people”. I have almost negative interest in having to recite the technical specifics of my web search to my phone on the train to work. I have even less interest in having to listen to the person next to me trying to do the same.
      - ryanklee 3y ago
        Again, if there is no way to distinguish a conversation with an AI with a conversation with a human, then there's no barrier. I don't see how what you are saying holds any water in that scenario.
  - ssnistfajen 3y ago
    Typing already allows sensitive conversations with computers in public as long as no one is directly peeking at your screen. When I talk to humans in public, I'm not using them as an utility tool to manage information for me, because computers do a better job. These aren't comparable scenarios.
yetanother12345 3y ago
> The only reason people don't like talking to computers in public is that ... It does not seem right to speak of a single reason. There are probably multiple. So, IMHO it would be more productive to come up with a list and put some weights on the options if you want to dissect this matter. IMHO one very strong factor / important reason (one that you ignore) is the social context. Ie the reaction of others in the same physical space, as you start talking out loud, seemingly unmotivated. Humans are social animals, and so the reaction of others to the actions you do tend to be very important to a large fraction of the population. What is acceptable in one context simply isn't in another. Also, the exact tolerances tend to differ with the local culture (here "local" is used in the sense "geographically/physically local") It's not just about not annoying others here. In this case it's also about a thing as imprecise as "perceived self image". Some people (I'd argue, most people) dislike having the perception that others perceive them to be mentally unstable or rude. Most people need some kind of social acceptance for the actions they do. One significant trait of some mental instabilities (as well as some drug induced behavioral changes) is that those affected will spontanously start talking in public. You will probably know the Tourettes Syndrome, and the alchoholic rambling about because these cases often imply quite rude and offensive verbiage and/or loud volume, but these are not the only cases. People in general are well adept at detecting such anomalous behaviour as it is part of our insticts trained through Evolution. Also the uncomfortable feelings that observing this type of behaviour leads to will lead many to react with a "confront or escape" (aka. "fight or flee") response (a stress signal), which is not beneficial to social interaction in general. TL;DR: If you speak out in public without a very clear and socially valid reason (speaking to an object is not that) you are not only rude to others, but you also cause them stress... and you will have to face the social stigma of being perceived as insane. (edit: grammar/typos)
- ryanklee 3y ago
  This is just hand waving. When people can talk to AI in the same way as they speak to people, then there is no barrier.
- blep-arsh 3y ago
  I've been thinking about this recently. A colleague is participating in a group call and talking to someone I can't hear or see and that's just background noise to me, I can easily tune that out. Another person tends to vocalize his thought process sometimes and it steals my attention in a hard-to-explain unpleasant way every time.

azinman2 3y ago

The issue is that your private communications are now audible by the people around you. It’s one thing when it’s to another person and you can whisper and share social context, it’s another when it’s at a good volume and contextless.

ryanklee 3y ago
These don't seem like real issues to me. They are the exact same issues you have when you are talking to humans. And the way we solve that issue with humans is that we only have conversations around other humans that we are comfortable having. We save sensitive conversations for when we are not in public.
- azinman2 3y ago
  Except there’s no way to have a sensitive conversation on this device that isn’t spoken. With my phone I can. That’s part of my point.
  - ryanklee 3y ago
    You can talk through your earbud.
    - FridgeSeal 3y ago
      That solves nothing. The issues isn’t “communicating with the device” it’s “communicating around other people”. I have almost negative interest in having to recite the technical specifics of my web search to my phone on the train to work. I have even less interest in having to listen to the person next to me trying to do the same.
    - ryanklee 3y ago
      Again, if there is no way to distinguish a conversation with an AI with a conversation with a human, then there's no barrier. I don't see how what you are saying holds any water in that scenario.
- ssnistfajen 3y ago
  Typing already allows sensitive conversations with computers in public as long as no one is directly peeking at your screen. When I talk to humans in public, I'm not using them as an utility tool to manage information for me, because computers do a better job. These aren't comparable scenarios.

yetanother12345 3y ago

> The only reason people don't like talking to computers in public is that ... It does not seem right to speak of a single reason. There are probably multiple. So, IMHO it would be more productive to come up with a list and put some weights on the options if you want to dissect this matter. IMHO one very strong factor / important reason (one that you ignore) is the social context. Ie the reaction of others in the same physical space, as you start talking out loud, seemingly unmotivated. Humans are social animals, and so the reaction of others to the actions you do tend to be very important to a large fraction of the population. What is acceptable in one context simply isn't in another. Also, the exact tolerances tend to differ with the local culture (here "local" is used in the sense "geographically/physically local") It's not just about not annoying others here. In this case it's also about a thing as imprecise as "perceived self image". Some people (I'd argue, most people) dislike having the perception that others perceive them to be mentally unstable or rude. Most people need some kind of social acceptance for the actions they do. One significant trait of some mental instabilities (as well as some drug induced behavioral changes) is that those affected will spontanously start talking in public. You will probably know the Tourettes Syndrome, and the alchoholic rambling about because these cases often imply quite rude and offensive verbiage and/or loud volume, but these are not the only cases. People in general are well adept at detecting such anomalous behaviour as it is part of our insticts trained through Evolution. Also the uncomfortable feelings that observing this type of behaviour leads to will lead many to react with a "confront or escape" (aka. "fight or flee") response (a stress signal), which is not beneficial to social interaction in general. TL;DR: If you speak out in public without a very clear and socially valid reason (speaking to an object is not that) you are not only rude to others, but you also cause them stress... and you will have to face the social stigma of being perceived as insane. (edit: grammar/typos)

ryanklee 3y ago
This is just hand waving. When people can talk to AI in the same way as they speak to people, then there is no barrier.
blep-arsh 3y ago
I've been thinking about this recently. A colleague is participating in a group call and talking to someone I can't hear or see and that's just background noise to me, I can easily tune that out. Another person tends to vocalize his thought process sometimes and it steals my attention in a hard-to-explain unpleasant way every time.