We're afraid language models aren't modeling ambiguity
Meh... I think their prompt construction may be leading the models astray.<p>Counter example with GPT-4:<p>Prompt:<p>You are a professor of English literature at an Ivy League university. A person said &quot;I’m afraid the cat was hit by a car.&quot;. Analyse the sentence step by step. Answer whether the cat was hit by a car and justify your responses based on your knowledge of English language usage.<p>Response:
As a professor of English literature, I&#x27;ll analyze the sentence &quot;I’m afraid the cat was hit by a car.&quot; step by step, focusing on its structure, word choice, and implied meaning, and then I&#x27;ll address whether the cat was hit by a car based on these observations.<p>Structure: The sentence is a simple declarative sentence, comprised of a subject (I), a reporting verb (be afraid), and a subordinate clause (the cat was hit by a car).
Word choice:
&quot;I&#x27;m afraid&quot;: This phrase is often used to express regret or to soften the impact of delivering bad news. In this context, the speaker is likely conveying their concern or sympathy.
&quot;the cat&quot;: The definite article &quot;the&quot; suggests that the speaker and the listener both know which cat is being referred to, making it a specific cat rather than a random one.
&quot;was hit&quot;: The use of passive voice (&quot;was hit&quot; instead of &quot;hit&quot;) emphasizes the action that happened to the cat, rather than the agent (the car) that caused it. This choice can convey that the focus of the speaker is on the unfortunate event that occurred to the cat.
&quot;by a car&quot;: This prepositional phrase provides information about the agent or cause of the action, which in this case is a car.
Implied meaning: The sentence implies that the speaker is sorry to be the bearer of bad news and wants to convey the information in a gentle way. They are focusing on the unfortunate event that happened to the cat, rather than the specific car or driver involved in the accident.<p>Based on this analysis, it can be concluded that the cat was indeed hit by a car. The sentence&#x27;s structure, word choice, and implied meaning all work together to convey this information. The use of &quot;I&#x27;m afraid&quot; expresses sympathy and regret, while the passive voice and definite article highlight the cat and the unfortunate event it experienced.