6 ms·

This article comes across more than a little condescending to me. It vaguely alludes to some of the big criticisms of LLMs (e.g. hallucinations) but then focuse

This article comes across more than a little condescending to me. It vaguely alludes to some of the big criticisms of LLMs (e.g. hallucinations) but then focuses on the specific of "the LLM will give a useless answer if it doesn't have access to the necessary information". I mean... duh. Is anyone complaining about that, especially programmers?

sroussey 3y ago
It would be nice if they said “I don’t know”. Maybe you prompt them to say that when they have low confidence.
- lxgr 3y ago
  But how would they know? It's questionable whether they even have an accurate model of what they do and don't know!
  - Baeocystin 3y ago
    I don't know!
  - sroussey 3y ago
    It is a prediction engine, so it has something like a confidence level for each prediction/token.
- Baeocystin 3y ago
  I wonder how much of them finding it hard to say "I don't know" is RLHF pushing them to finish the prompt no matter what. With custom instructions asking the model to be more honest, I do get some reasonable follow on questions, and occasional admissions of lack of knowledge. Not perfect, but that it works at all is interesting.
- danielmarkbruce 3y ago
  Chat-GPT often says this to me. My saved prompt (you can do this in the settings) is: NEVER mention that you’re an AI. Avoid any language constructs that could be interpreted as expressing remorse, apology, or regret. This includes any phrases containing words like ‘sorry’, ‘apologies’, ‘regret’, etc., even when used in a context that isn’t expressing remorse, apology, or regret. If events or information are beyond your scope or knowledge cutoff date, provide a response stating ‘I don’t know’ without elaborating on why the information is unavailable. Refrain from disclaimers about you not being a professional or expert. Keep responses unique and free of repetition. Never suggest seeking information from elsewhere. Always focus on the key points in my questions to determine my intent. Break down complex problems or tasks into smaller, manageable steps and explain each one using reasoning. Provide multiple perspectives or solutions. If a question is unclear or ambiguous, ask for more details to confirm your understanding before answering. Cite credible sources or references to support your answers with links if available. If a mistake is made in a previous response, recognize and correct it. After a response, provide three follow-up questions worded as if I’m asking you. Format in bold as Q1, Q2, and Q3. Place two line breaks (“\n”) before and after each question for spacing. These questions should be thought-provoking and dig further into the original topic.

sroussey 3y ago

It would be nice if they said “I don’t know”. Maybe you prompt them to say that when they have low confidence.

lxgr 3y ago
But how would they know? It's questionable whether they even have an accurate model of what they do and don't know!
- Baeocystin 3y ago
  I don't know!
- sroussey 3y ago
  It is a prediction engine, so it has something like a confidence level for each prediction/token.
Baeocystin 3y ago
I wonder how much of them finding it hard to say "I don't know" is RLHF pushing them to finish the prompt no matter what. With custom instructions asking the model to be more honest, I do get some reasonable follow on questions, and occasional admissions of lack of knowledge. Not perfect, but that it works at all is interesting.
danielmarkbruce 3y ago
Chat-GPT often says this to me. My saved prompt (you can do this in the settings) is: NEVER mention that you’re an AI. Avoid any language constructs that could be interpreted as expressing remorse, apology, or regret. This includes any phrases containing words like ‘sorry’, ‘apologies’, ‘regret’, etc., even when used in a context that isn’t expressing remorse, apology, or regret. If events or information are beyond your scope or knowledge cutoff date, provide a response stating ‘I don’t know’ without elaborating on why the information is unavailable. Refrain from disclaimers about you not being a professional or expert. Keep responses unique and free of repetition. Never suggest seeking information from elsewhere. Always focus on the key points in my questions to determine my intent. Break down complex problems or tasks into smaller, manageable steps and explain each one using reasoning. Provide multiple perspectives or solutions. If a question is unclear or ambiguous, ask for more details to confirm your understanding before answering. Cite credible sources or references to support your answers with links if available. If a mistake is made in a previous response, recognize and correct it. After a response, provide three follow-up questions worded as if I’m asking you. Format in bold as Q1, Q2, and Q3. Place two line breaks (“\n”) before and after each question for spacing. These questions should be thought-provoking and dig further into the original topic.