Tuesday, 4 April 2023

David Rose On ChatGPT Recognising Canonical Structure

I’m just looking for the limits of GPT and whatever it is that ‘context’ is supposed be...
These are each instances of a pedagogic register type in which a learner solicits knowledge.
GPT recognises the canonical structure, even when it’s initiated with a statement...

 

 

speech

function

exch

role

register phase

interact

Mario

Your self is merely semiotic.

statement

K2

propose class

solicit knowledge

GPT

That is correct.

answer

K1

evaluate

approve

 

As an AI language model, my "self"

or programmed understanding of

my existence and capabilities is based

purely on symbols and algorithms. 

statement

K1

elaborate class

impart knowledge


Keep in mind that these are just labels for structures. We give them functional labels because that’s the relation we interpret between ranks and strata. But GPT doesn't have to interpret them as ‘functions’... just predict appropriate structures in response.

and later that day at 22:01:

But note that GPT is also negotiating affiliation with Mario... positioning itself outside of human communities... no doubt ‘trained’ by its developers.

 

Blogger Comments:

[1] To be clear, ChatGPT produces texts from the lexical collocation frequencies in a reservoir of instances, not from an individuated repertoire of systems that are realised as structures. On this basis, ChatGPT is not an individuated meaner.

[2] To be clear, by 'context' Rose means Martin's misunderstanding of register as a stratum of context. So here Rose is presenting a text (language) as an instance of a type of context, despite context being opposed to language in Martin's stratification model.

[3] To be clear, importantly, it is not ChatGPT that recognises 'the canonical structure' but Rose. See [1] above.

[4] To be clear, in SFL Theory, 'acknowledgement' is the expected response to a statement (Halliday & Matthiessen 2014: 137).

[5] To be clear, ChatGPT does not 'predict structures', because that is not how it operates; see [1] above.

[6] To be clear, ChatGPT is not 'negotiating affiliation', because ChatGPT is not an individuated meaner; see [1] above.