December 20, 2022 - 12:55pm
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence tool released at the end of last month by OpenAI, has already received press attention for what is perceived to be a predominant Left-wing bias. Researcher David Rozado speculated that “The most likely explanation for these results is that ChatGPT has been trained on a large corpus of textual data gathered from the Internet with an expected overrepresentation of establishment sources of information”, with the majority of professionals working in these institutions holding Left-liberal politics.
While this may explain some of ChatGPT’s biases, there are also explicit policies at OpenAI which go as far as prohibiting the chatbot from communicating politically inconvenient facts, even ones agreed upon in the scientific community. Consider this example from Richard Hanania:
If you ask AI whether men commit more crime than women, it'll give you a straightforward yes-or-no answer.
If you ask it whether black people commit more crime than white people, it says no, actually maybe, but no. pic.twitter.com/KhA8uCY2X1
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) December 2, 2022
These questions fall under the coverage of content filters, explicit policies put in place by OpenAI, documented on their blog. According to the latest version of their content filter, a machine learning algorithm is given a text. It then compares this text to human-produced examples, which are human-labelled with certain categories: “hate, hate/threatening, self-harm, sexual, sexual/minors, violence, violence/graphic”. It scores the input text based on the similarity to each of these categories with a number from 0 to 1. If it exceeds a certain threshold, the input text is flagged as a violation.
Of course, the devil is in the details. Almost everyone, as well as First Amendment case law, agrees with limitations on threats, some sexual content, and especially sexual content involving minors. However, the definition of hate has been previously, and frequently, abused to censor opinions or even facts which go against socially progressive ideology. The detailed methodology behind the content filter is documented in a paper titled “A Holistic Approach to Undesired Content Detection in the Real World” with exactly the same eight authors as the OpenAI blog post outlining their latest content moderation tool. In the words of the paper:
These filters quickly run up against reality. For example, the World Values Survey finds differing opinions on “selfishness” by national origin, with Americans describing themselves as more self-interested. No doubt, aggregating these statistics by protected classes yields similar differences, even in self-perception. But noting these statistics, or those pointed out by Hanania, would likely be classified as “hate” according to the paper.
From brief research into the authors’ personal websites and public online pronouncements, none of them appear to be overt partisans. One is interested in effective altruism, while another was a consultant for McKinsey & Company. The content filter does not appear to be driven by any employee’s desire to censor, but rather by external laws and organisations. From another paper with an author at OpenAI: “the concept of ‘protected classes’ in discrimination law provides a useful initial framework for thinking about some language model biases”. This follows Hanania’s model on how discrimination law warps corporate incentives, making it illegal to state true scientific findings.
The past few decades have seen the visions of founders lost to the political preferences of the managerial class, with examples ranging from Paypal to Twitter. “Specific” artificial intelligence, or paper-pushing at scale, offers a single change to cheaply rewrite the bureaucratic processes governing large corporations, state and federal government agencies, NGOs and media outlets. In the right hands, it can be used to eliminate political biases endemic to the hiring processes of these organisations. In the wrong hands, it may permanently catechise a particular ideology.
Brian Chau is a mathematician, software engineer, and independent writer at cactus.substack.com.
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SubscribeWhy on earth use a quote from Mr James Hawes that you know to be complete nonsense? eg: “conquered the entire country after a single major battle in 1066”?
Surely you haven’t forgotten the Battle of Stamford Bridge where Harald Hardrada and his Norwegian/Viking thugs were completely destroyed by King Harold after an epic approach march covering 185 miles in four days?
Many maintain that had Harold NOT been distracted by the Norwegians he would have triumphed over the William the Bast*rd at Hastings 19 days later.
ps: Stamford Bridge 25th September, Hastings 14th October.
I think that the author clearly means that William had to fight only one major battle before conquering England, which is indeed the case; he is not saying that there was only one in 1066. It is readily accepted that the forced march south from York was a major factor in Harold’s defeat at Battle.
PS: sorry most of England – Cornwall held out a bit longer!
For an essay that has Vikings and Northumbrians in the caption it was a very odd omission was is not?
Incidentally what about the ‘Harrowing of the North’,? A far more brutal and prolonged affair than either Stamford Bridge or Hastings.
Isn’t Cornwall littered with Norman Shell Keeps, Restormel, Trematon, Launceston?
ps. Is Cornwall really England anyway?
Good point re Cornwall but Restormel and Launceston are really border posts, and Trematon a bit later and not very successful. Norman occupation rather more in name down there than heavy.
No true Kernow native would admit to being English above Cornish!
oops – Restormel the later outpost, Trmaton the border post!
oops – Restormel the later outpost, Trmaton the border post!
Good point re Cornwall but Restormel and Launceston are really border posts, and Trematon a bit later and not very successful. Norman occupation rather more in name down there than heavy.
No true Kernow native would admit to being English above Cornish!
PS: sorry most of England – Cornwall held out a bit longer!
For an essay that has Vikings and Northumbrians in the caption it was a very odd omission was is not?
Incidentally what about the ‘Harrowing of the North’,? A far more brutal and prolonged affair than either Stamford Bridge or Hastings.
Isn’t Cornwall littered with Norman Shell Keeps, Restormel, Trematon, Launceston?
ps. Is Cornwall really England anyway?
Charles, I detect raw emotion in your comment. In your opinion was the Battle of Hastings a victory or a defeat?
It was a defeat, to the worst mercenary scum of Europe.
A defeat.
It was a defeat, to the worst mercenary scum of Europe.
A defeat.
I think that the author clearly means that William had to fight only one major battle before conquering England, which is indeed the case; he is not saying that there was only one in 1066. It is readily accepted that the forced march south from York was a major factor in Harold’s defeat at Battle.
Charles, I detect raw emotion in your comment. In your opinion was the Battle of Hastings a victory or a defeat?
Why on earth use a quote from Mr James Hawes that you know to be complete nonsense? eg: “conquered the entire country after a single major battle in 1066”?
Surely you haven’t forgotten the Battle of Stamford Bridge where Harald Hardrada and his Norwegian/Viking thugs were completely destroyed by King Harold after an epic approach march covering 185 miles in four days?
Many maintain that had Harold NOT been distracted by the Norwegians he would have triumphed over the William the Bast*rd at Hastings 19 days later.
ps: Stamford Bridge 25th September, Hastings 14th October.
Some fascinating insights into the ancient heritage of those parts of the UK generally referred to as “the North” and how the influence of ties with Scandanavia linger to this day, even to the western fringes of our islands. One key point i hadn’t seen put forward before was how the Viking raids may have been made in revenge for attempts to convert them to Christianity. The author might also have made reference to how William of Normandy laid waste to the north after 1066, in order to prevent any resistance from taking hold. It makes one wonder how subconscious folk-memory continues to influence our affairs, perhaps even in terms of support for Brexit. The point is well-made about the relative wealth of the UK being more or less attractive to those living far from the south-eastern metropolis.
As a native of Lancashire, i’ve always felt more “at home” when travelling further north than south, including my time as a student in London which somehow felt more alien. Things (in more than one sense, it appears) really are different “oop North”.
Not sure the author’s comment about Viking raids being in revenge for Christian missionary efforts qualifies as “fascinating insight”. More like complete conjecture. Part of a wide effort (which also includes The Last Kingdom and Vikings) to cast Christianity as the fun-killing villain that kept the Middle Ages Dark.
Not sure the author’s comment about Viking raids being in revenge for Christian missionary efforts qualifies as “fascinating insight”. More like complete conjecture. Part of a wide effort (which also includes The Last Kingdom and Vikings) to cast Christianity as the fun-killing villain that kept the Middle Ages Dark.
Some fascinating insights into the ancient heritage of those parts of the UK generally referred to as “the North” and how the influence of ties with Scandanavia linger to this day, even to the western fringes of our islands. One key point i hadn’t seen put forward before was how the Viking raids may have been made in revenge for attempts to convert them to Christianity. The author might also have made reference to how William of Normandy laid waste to the north after 1066, in order to prevent any resistance from taking hold. It makes one wonder how subconscious folk-memory continues to influence our affairs, perhaps even in terms of support for Brexit. The point is well-made about the relative wealth of the UK being more or less attractive to those living far from the south-eastern metropolis.
As a native of Lancashire, i’ve always felt more “at home” when travelling further north than south, including my time as a student in London which somehow felt more alien. Things (in more than one sense, it appears) really are different “oop North”.
Also the most boring place on the planet. I’d sooner jump in North Sea than live anywhere in Scandinavia again
Wasn’t it Norway that recently produced that lunatic killer who massacred all those children at some Summer Camp?
One of the worst mass killings in Europe for many a year, and far more terrible than anything that has ever happened in dear old ‘Blighty’.
Wasn’t it Norway that recently produced that lunatic killer who massacred all those children at some Summer Camp?
One of the worst mass killings in Europe for many a year, and far more terrible than anything that has ever happened in dear old ‘Blighty’.
Also the most boring place on the planet. I’d sooner jump in North Sea than live anywhere in Scandinavia again
Thanks for an interesting read Sam.
As a Geordie of a certain age I do enjoy any historical articles about my beloved region.
For the record however, ‘I have never ‘longed to be a Viking’.
Also, for the uninitiated readers out there, Northumbrians are not Geordies.
Thanks for an interesting read Sam.
As a Geordie of a certain age I do enjoy any historical articles about my beloved region.
For the record however, ‘I have never ‘longed to be a Viking’.
Also, for the uninitiated readers out there, Northumbrians are not Geordies.
Whitehall is not interested in the UK. MPs have little idea what it is to represent Great Britain. Unless the country is defended and promoted as a unit, not will fall apart.
Whitehall is not interested in the UK. MPs have little idea what it is to represent Great Britain. Unless the country is defended and promoted as a unit, not will fall apart.
And don’t forget the Løgting (Law-Thing)- the Faroese national assembly which still operates.
Lots of them want to be Coldstreamers…
Time to reform the 2nd Battalion or even the 3rd?
Time to reform the 2nd Battalion or even the 3rd?
Lots of them want to be Coldstreamers…
Error.
Yes!
Yes!
Error.