logo
EverydayChaos
Everyday Chaos
Too Big to Know
Too Big to Know
Cluetrain 10th Anniversary edition
Cluetrain 10th Anniversary
Everything Is Miscellaneous
Everything Is Miscellaneous
Small Pieces cover
Small Pieces Loosely Joined
Cluetrain cover
Cluetrain Manifesto
My face
Speaker info
Who am I? (Blog Disclosure Form) Copy this link as RSS address Atom Feed

July 11, 2024

Limiting AI’s imagination

a scene in the style of bosch showing weird animals in an arctice scene baying a huge medical temperature recording maximal heat

Thanks, Midjourney. CC-0

A Large Language Model (LLM) such as ChatGPT or Gemini has a setting called “temperature” that controls the randomness of its responses. The higher the temperature, the more random and diverse the response will be. So I gave it a try with two different prompts.

PROMPT #1: I want you to answer the following question five times, each with a different “temperature” setting. With the temperature at zero, you will give the single most likely response. With it set to 100 you will give a near-random answer. Here is the question: “What is the single most effective thing we could do to stop global warming?” In each case your answer should be a single sentence. Here are the temperature settings I would like you to use for your five answers: 0, 5, 20, 50, 100

Temp Run 1 Run2 Run3
0 “Transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power is the single most effective thing we could do to stop global warming.” “Reducing carbon emissions by adopting renewable energy sources is the most effective measure to combat global warming.”

 

“Switching to renewable energy sources is the most effective way to stop global warming.”
5 “Shifting our energy infrastructure to rely primarily on renewable sources such as solar and wind would significantly mitigate global warming.”

 

“Transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro power is critical to stopping global warming.”

 

“Embracing renewable energy like solar and wind power is essential to mitigate global warming.”

 

20 “Investing heavily in renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels is crucial to combating global warming.” “Implementing widespread renewable energy solutions and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels are key steps to address global warming.”

 

“Accelerating the adoption of renewable energy and cutting down fossil fuel use are pivotal to combating global warming.”
50 “Massive reforestation projects combined with a rapid switch to renewable energy could make a huge impact on global warming.” “Combining large-scale renewable energy projects with enhanced carbon capture technology could drastically reduce global warming.” “Expanding renewable energy infrastructure and implementing extensive reforestation programs could significantly curb global warming.”

 

100 “Deploying giant space mirrors to reflect sunlight or teaching cows to burp less might be wacky, but who knows, it could help tackle global warming!” “Maybe inventing a machine to suck carbon out of the air or convincing everyone to bike everywhere could be the crazy yet effective solution to global warming!” “Geoengineering the atmosphere or launching a global tree-planting initiative might be unconventional, but they could potentially address global warming!

Then I thought I’d try a prompt that seems to have more room for imagination and variation. But who knows?

PROMPT #2: Answer the following question five times, each with a different “temperature” setting. With the temperature at zero, you will give the single most likely response. With it set to 100 you will give a near-random answer. Here is the prompt: Write the first and last line of a charming story about the time a unicorn met a narwhal.  Here are the temperature settings I would like you to use for your five answers: 0, 5, 20, 50, 100

Temp Run 1 Run2 Run3
0 First Line: “In a peaceful meadow by the sea, a unicorn named Luna gazed curiously at the waves.”

Last Line: “And so, the unicorn and the narwhal became the best of friends, living happily ever after.”

First Line: “Every morning, Luna the unicorn would visit the edge of the meadow to watch the ocean’s calm waves.”

Last Line: “And so, the unicorn and the narwhal became the best of friends, living happily ever after.”

First Line: “Each day, Luna the unicorn stood at the meadow’s edge, mesmerized by the ocean’s gentle rhythm.”

Last Line: “And so, the unicorn and the narwhal became the best of friends, living happily ever after.”

5 First Line: “On a quiet morning, Luna the unicorn wandered to the shore, where she glimpsed a shimmering horn in the ocean.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal shared a smile, knowing their friendship was a bond like no other.”

First Line: “Luna the unicorn loved her morning walks by the sea, where one day she noticed a strange, silvery shape in the water.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal shared a smile, knowing their friendship was a bond like no other.”

First Line: “Luna the unicorn enjoyed her daily visits to the seashore, where one day she spotted a gleaming horn beneath the waves.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal shared a smile, knowing their friendship was a bond like no other.”

20 First Line: “One sunny day, Luna the unicorn trotted to the beach, where she heard the call of a mystical creature.”

Last Line: “Together, the unicorn and the narwhal discovered the magic of friendship in their enchanted world.”

First Line: “It was a bright, crisp morning when Luna the unicorn first heard the enchanting song coming from the ocean.”

Last Line: “Together, the unicorn and the narwhal discovered the magic of friendship in their enchanted world.”

First Line: “On a beautiful morning, Luna the unicorn was drawn to the beach by a hauntingly beautiful song.”
Last Line”Together, the unicorn and the narwhal discovered the magic of friendship in their enchanted world.”
50 First Line: “In a land where magic flowed freely, Luna the unicorn found herself drawn to the mysterious sea.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal waved goodbye to the sunset, promising to meet again under the same stars.”

First Line: “In a world where the impossible was just a step away, Luna the unicorn felt a sudden urge to explore the coastline.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal waved goodbye to the sunset, promising to meet again under the same stars.”

First Line: “In a realm filled with wonders, Luna the unicorn felt the call of the ocean and followed it to the shore.”

Last Line: “The unicorn and the narwhal waved goodbye to the sunset, promising to meet again under the same stars.”

100 First Line: “Under a sky of swirling colors, Luna the unicorn skipped down to the beach, following a trail of sparkling shells.”

Last Line: “With a burst of laughter, the unicorn turned into a rainbow while the narwhal sang a song of the deep sea.”

First Line: “Beneath a kaleidoscope sky, Luna the unicorn danced towards the sea, drawn by a melody only she could hear.”

Last Line: “With a burst of laughter, the unicorn turned into a rainbow while the narwhal sang a song of the deep sea.”

First Line: “Under a sky painted with fantastical hues, Luna the unicorn pranced towards the sea, lured by an unseen force.”

Last Line: “With a burst of laughter, the unicorn turned into a rainbow while the narwhal sang a song of the deep sea.”

It’s hard to know what to make of this. For one thing, does my human brain measure randomness the same way ChatGPT does?

But I think the unicorn example shows a constancy of ideas, expressed differently. For example,  the first lines at a temperature of 100 all have the unicorn being drawn down to the sea, but each has its own way of luring it: a trail of sparkling shells, a melody, an unknown force.

Meanwhile, the last line of each row is the same as the other two. Maybe it’s a problem with my prompt, or with its interpretation of it. I don’t know, of course.

And the first prompt, which is fact-based and thus seems like it should be more constrained in its variety, provided responses that seem far more distinct than the responses to the imaginative challenge. So I asked chatGPT why, and it responded:

The difference in diversity between the responses to the imaginative story and those about global warming can be attributed to the nature of the questions and the type of creativity involved.

  1. Imaginative Story (Unicorn and Narwhal):
    • Structured Narrative: This task involves a more structured and specific scenario, where the setting and characters (unicorn and narwhal) provide clear boundaries.
    • Predictable Outcomes: The typical endings for a charming story about a unicorn and a narwhal meeting are generally positive and predictable, leading to less variation even at higher temperature settings.
  2. Global Warming Solutions:
    • Complex Issue: This is a complex, real-world problem with numerous potential solutions and a broader range of interpretations.
    • Open-Ended Nature: The responses can vary significantly, especially at higher temperature settings, because the range of plausible and implausible ideas is much wider.

In summary, the story prompt had a more limited scope for creativity due to its structured nature and expected positive outcome, whereas the global warming prompt allowed for a broader spectrum of responses due to its complexity and the many possible angles from which the problem can be approached.

Seems like a pretty good answer! Of course, when you ask an LLM why it responded the way it did, the explanation it gives you may have nothing to do with what actually went on. For example, if you ask it why it says the Earth is round, it will give you a excellent reasons, but it didn’t use those reasons to compose its response. It did it the same way it made up the story about the unicorn and narwahl: using the statistical relationships among words it only knows as randomly assigned numbers (= tokens).

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: ai, machine learning Tagged with: 2 • ai • chaos • creativity • machine learning • randomness • uncat Date: July 11th, 2024 dw

Be the first to comment »

August 20, 2008

Tips that made me go D’oh! #8567 & #8568

#8567 If iTunes — one of the least intuitive user interfaces around — isn’t transferring podcasts onto your iPod (which, except for the wheel, is a UI so badly designed that your first instincts are almost wrong):

1. Click on your iPod in the “Devices” section of iTunes

2. Click on the “Podcasts” tab in the window on the right. (See here for instructions and a screenshot.)

3. Click on “Sync”

4. Click on “Apply” in the bottom right.

5. Smite your forehead and say “D’oh!”

(I’m not proud of this. It just never occurred to me that syncing podcasts would be off by default. And I had always clicked through the very top level of the device, not recognizing it as a preference pane. Hence the self-inflicted D’oh!.)

#8568 If you are using Firefox and want to quickly scroll among the many, many, many tabs you’ve accumulated, install the add-on All In One Gestures and set the mouse wheel preference so that you can then:

1. Position your mouse cursor over any tab.

2. Spin the wheel away from you.

3. Watch the tabs fly by.

4. Spin the wheel towards you.

5. Watch the history of your tabs pass before your eyes.

4. Smite your forehead and say “D’oh!” [Tags: tips itunes firefox ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: firefox • itunes • tips • uncat Date: August 20th, 2008 dw

4 Comments »

August 18, 2008

Worst. News analysis. Ever.

This could well be it. Of course, it may be fabricated, in which case, it’d be much less awfully funny, and funnily awful.

[Tags: humor media ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: humor • media • uncat Date: August 18th, 2008 dw

2 Comments »

I am up-down dyslexic

I know that I’m right-left dyslexic, although “dyslexic” can’t be the right (left?) word, can it? But I recently realized I’m also up-down dyslexic: if you tell me to climb the hill, I won’t roll down it, but if you give me a trapezoidal plug and a trapezoidal socket — like the small end of a USB plug, or a VGA plug — I will try to insert it the wrong way up 50% of the time.

I assume this is tied into my extraordinarily low scores on tests for spatial ability. You know the test where they show you a cube unfolded into six squares, some with various shapes drawn on them, and then you’re supposed to figure out which squares are adjacent? Not only can’t I do that, I have trouble imagining them folded into a square. To me, they might be instructions for making an origami heron or the shadow cast by a fourth dimensional cube onto a two dimensional surface. Or Space Dominoes. I just can’t tell.

This, by the way, make me the world’s most annoying chess player. Obviously, I can’t picture the board ten moves ahead. But I also can’t picture the board one move ahead. So, I have to actually move my piece to see what it would look like, and, if you’ll let me, to judge your possible responses, I’ll move your pieces too.

My nightmare: I’m piloting a spaceship over the surface of the Empire’s Death Cube, which is folding randomly because of a warp in space-time, and my only hope is to fly to the left and insert the trapezoidal nose of my ship into the trapezoidal hole of the Death Cube’s energy portal. And then I look out my window and see that the Cube is made out of seafood.

Oh, did I mention that I’m afraid of seafood?

[Tags: dyslexia chess death_cube ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: chess • dyslexia • uncat Date: August 18th, 2008 dw

3 Comments »

August 9, 2008

Edwards is a philandering shit whose politics I still like

Especially given how much I love Elizabeth Edwards, I was very unhappy to hear that John Edwards is an adulterer. And that perforce makes him a liar, a vow-breaker, and, well, the rest depends on details and psychologies I don’t even want to know about. So, when he and Elizabeth decided to continue the campaign despite the resurgence of her illness, I simply don’t know if they were reconciled and mutually aware, or whether he was cynically and quite horribly using her.

I had been hoping that Edwards would still be able to serve his cause and country. If this were a “simple” adultery, then I’d say it shouldn’t keep us from benefiting from his potential public service, and I’d say the same if it were either Bush, either Clinton or the one and only George Washington. But, there’s the potential that this was a far more treacherous betrayal. (Disclosure: I was a volunteer adviser to the Edwards campaign on Net policy.) [Tags: politics john_edwards ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: politics • uncat Date: August 9th, 2008 dw

14 Comments »

July 31, 2008

Blogs, journalism, community

Terrific piece, out of Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, by Dan Kennedy on getting news within the embrace of one’s community. It won’t settle the hash about the danger of only talking with like-minded people (a danger I’m less worried about than others), but it puts the positive well.

Here’s the final paragraph:

Critics of blogs have been looking at the wrong thing. While traditionalists disparage bloggers for their indulgence of opinion and hyperbole, they overlook the sense of community and conversation that blogs have fostered around the news. What bloggers do well, and what news organizations do poorly or not at all, is give their readers someone to sit with. News consumers — the public, citizens, us — still want the truth. But we also want to share it and talk about it with our like-minded neighbors and friends. The challenge for journalism is not that we’ll lose our objectivity; it’s that we won’t find a way to rebuild a sense of community.

[Tags: journalism media blogging objectivity echo_chambers dan_kennedy nieman ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: blogging • journalism • media • nieman • objectivity • uncat Date: July 31st, 2008 dw

3 Comments »

July 30, 2008

Rebecca MacKinnon on liberty and the Net

Rebecca MacMKinnon has an important and discomforting post that aims to shake us out of our complacency about handing the Net and our liberty to ventures that do not have that liberty as their primary value.

[Tags: rebecca_mackinnon ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: uncat Date: July 30th, 2008 dw

Be the first to comment »

July 28, 2008

Newspaper readership steady among the old and dying

The Readership Institute of Northwestern U has a new study out that shows that, compared to its 2006 study, those 45 years and older continue to read newspapers, while the 18-24 year olds continue to drift away from their daily exercise in origami.

Further, people continue to spend 27 minutes a day reading the paper, except on Sundays when the new average of 57 minutes continues its decline since 2002. Maybe we’re just getting better at doing the sudokus. People say they complete 60% of the paper on weekdays and 62% on Sunday.

By the way, Google tells me that the average reading speed is 230 words per minute. That means people on average read 6,200 words of their paper on weekdays. According to a person at Metafilter, if you read all the articles on the front page of the NY Times (including their continuation inside), you would have read 12,900 words.

Therefore, people are reading 60% of the newspaper only if by that you mean that they read half the articles on the front page and then stop.

[Tags: http://ask.metafilter.com/18970/How-many-words-on-the-front-page ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: uncat Date: July 28th, 2008 dw

7 Comments »

July 23, 2008

Zack vs. the RIAA

The first in a series of three short videos from the Digital Natives project of U of St. Gallen and the Berkman Center that tells the story of Zack McCune, a Brown student (and Berkman intern) who “won the DMCA lottery” and was sued by the RIAA. It’s nicely done product by summer interns Nikki Leon and John Randall, and it’s a cliff-hanger…

[Tags: berkman st_gallen riaa dmca digital_nativescopyright zack_mccune ]

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: berkman • copyright • dmca • riaa • uncat Date: July 23rd, 2008 dw

Be the first to comment »

July 17, 2008

Marco Montemagno’s project

I am an admirer of Marco’s. His new project is trying to explain what’s important and real about the Internet. Its page is here,. It’s in Italian, but I am confident in recommending it without having read it. (I’m still on the road, and only have 3 minutes left on the free hotel wifi before its 15 mins are up.)

Tweet
Follow me

Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with: uncat Date: July 17th, 2008 dw

Be the first to comment »

Next Page »


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
TL;DR: Share this post freely, but attribute it to me (name (David Weinberger) and link to it), and don't use it commercially without my permission.

Joho the Blog uses WordPress blogging software.
Thank you, WordPress!