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David Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)'s posts Post Back to profile
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Felyashono

@david_chisnall
And yet you chose English, a High-Ambiguity Language (HAL), to express this idea. I suspect it could have been much clearer and more succinct if you'd used a Low-Ambiguity Language (LAL) like First Order Logic.

But your choice to use a HAL is likely the result of the underlying problem with your idea. LALs aren't universally accessible. Every LAL requires expertise, and using any LAL (incl. modern UIs) renders computers inaccessible to classes of people.

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1 January at 20:27 | Wall-to-wall | Open on disabled.social
2 comments
Felyashono

@david_chisnall
I believe it's this desire for accessibility that drives the push for control of computers with Natural Language. Given the assumption that computers are useful tools, it's important to help a higher percentage of the population have access to them. Star Trek may have popularized the idea, but it's not Star Trek's fault.

And the sheer complexity of bridging the gap between High- and Low- Ambiguity Languages may offer insight into why current LLMs are so energy expensive.

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@david_chisnall
I believe it's this desire for accessibility that drives the push for control of computers with Natural Language. Given the assumption that computers are useful tools, it's important to help a higher percentage of the population have access to them. Star Trek may have popularized the idea, but it's not Star Trek's fault.

1 January at 20:28 | Open on disabled.social
Felyashono

@david_chisnall
It's also interesting to note that there are very few Zero-Ambiguity Languages. If they exist, I imagine Mathematics is perhaps the only one.

The inherent ambiguity in most programming languages has been a root cause of bugs, and yet many programmers chafe at attempts to reduce said ambiguity with techniques like strongly-typed variables. The lower the ambiguity in a language, the more effort is required to express an idea correctly. This gets back to accessibility.

3/3

@david_chisnall
It's also interesting to note that there are very few Zero-Ambiguity Languages. If they exist, I imagine Mathematics is perhaps the only one.

The inherent ambiguity in most programming languages has been a root cause of bugs, and yet many programmers chafe at attempts to reduce said ambiguity with techniques like strongly-typed variables. The lower the ambiguity in a language, the more effort is required to express an idea correctly. This gets back to accessibility.

1 January at 20:30 | Open on disabled.social
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