AI chatbots have linguistic slips when they go off-script
Summary
Marketplace Tech explores why AI chatbots randomly insert foreign words, a phenomenon called code-switching. Host Megan McCarty Carino speaks with AI expert Janelle Shane, who explains that models treat languages as mixed data rather than distinct modes. This leads to unintended crossovers, such as Chinese terms appearing in English medical advice, revealing how AI predicts text without truly understanding context.
Topics discussed
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Intro: AI code-switching and Janelle Shane
Why AI mixes languages: Training data
Example: Chinese word in ankle pain chat
Example: Ukrainian word in TV chat
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Risks of domain switching in AI
Outro and Must Be The Money promo
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