One Line
Large language models are likened to shoggoths as they extract and simplify human language from the internet, with the authors emphasizing the importance of comprehending the dynamics and control of these systems, acknowledging the limitations of taming them, and advocating for social democracy.
Slides
Slide Presentation (7 slides)
Key Points
- Language models are compared to shoggoths, as they simplify and abstract the vast chaos of written-human-language-as-recorded-on-the-Web.
- Language models are cultural technologies, analogous to library catalogs, that repurpose human minds.
- Language models are part of a larger family of monsters, including the market system, the corporation, the state, and the democratic state.
- Language models and other information-processing systems run on human beings rather than just ingesting the products of human intelligence.
- Controlling language models and other monsters is challenging and often impersonal.
Summaries
60 word summary
Large language models (LLMs) are compared to shoggoths, as they simplify and abstract human language from the internet. The essay is paywalled, but a Twitter thread provides a summary. The authors emphasize understanding the dynamics and control of these systems, mentioning the limits of monster-taming and praising social democracy. They also reference various sources that influenced their understanding of shoggoths.
167 word summary
Large language models (LLMs) are compared to shoggoths in an essay published in The Economist. LLMs simplify and abstract written human language from the internet, making them useful cultural technologies. They are likened to systems that process human intelligence, such as the market system, corporation, state, and democratic state. The essay is paywalled, but a Twitter thread by one of the authors provides a summary, and excerpts and commentary can be found on Brad DeLong's website. The authors express gratitude to The Economist's editorial staff and Ted Chiang for comments on a draft. They mention excluding discussions on LLMs as artifacts, Dan Sperber's account of culture, Arthur Stinchcombe's work on institutions, and the primal scene of AI. The authors emphasize the importance of understanding the intrinsic dynamics of these systems and the need for a discussion on their control. They mention the limits of monster-taming and praise social democracy. They also mention Henry's reflections on neo-Lovecraftian fiction and cite various sources that influenced their understanding of shoggoths.
270 word summary
In a recent essay published in The Economist, the authors discuss the concept that large language models (LLMs) are akin to shoggoths. They argue that LLMs simplify and abstract the vast chaos of written human language found on the internet, making them useful cultural technologies. The authors compare LLMs to other systems that process human intelligence, such as the market system, the corporation, the state, and even the democratic state. These systems not only ingest human intelligence but also run on human beings. The essay is paywalled, but a Twitter thread by one of the authors provides a good summary, and excerpts and commentary can be found on Brad DeLong's website. The authors express gratitude to the editorial staff at The Economist and to Ted Chiang for providing helpful comments on a draft. They also mention that they did not include discussions on LLMs as artifacts, Dan Sperber's account of culture, Arthur Stinchcombe's work on abstraction and formalities in institutions, or the primal scene of AI. The authors highlight the importance of understanding that these systems have their own intrinsic dynamics and can be difficult to control. They mention the need for a discussion on monster-taming and its limits, which would involve praising social democracy. The authors also mention Henry's reflections on modern neo-Lovecraftian fiction, which they hope will be published elsewhere. The update includes minor wording tweaks and additions, as well as insightful commentary from Daniel Davies. The authors cite various sources that have influenced their understanding of shoggoths and note that they learned the correct plural form of "shoggoth" from Ruthanna Emrys but cannot locate the specific passage.