I mean, for one thing, a commercial LLM exists as a product designed to make a profit. It can be improved, otherwise modified, restricted or legally terminated.
And "lying" to it is not morally equivalent to lying to a human.
> And "lying" to it is not morally equivalent to lying to a human.
I never claimed as much.
This is probably a problem of definitions: To you, "lying" seems to require the entity being lied to being a moral subject.
I'd argue that it's enough for it to have some theory of mind (i.e. be capable of modeling "who knows/believes what" with at least some fidelity), and for the liar to intentionally obscure their true mental state from it.
I agree with you, and i would add that morals are not objective but rather subjective, which you alluded to by identifying a moral subject. Therefore, if you believe that lying is immoral, it does not matter if you're lying to another person, yourself, or to an inanimate object.
So for me, it's not about being reductionist, but about not anthropomorphizing or using words which which may suggest an inappropriate ethical or moral dimension to interactions with a piece of software.
Not from the perspective of "harm to those lied to", no. But from the perspective of "what the liar can expect as a consequence".
I can lie to a McDonalds cashier about what food I want, or I can lie to a kiosk.. but in either circumstance I'll wind up being served the food that I asked for and didn't want, won't I?
lxgr|4 months ago
I never claimed as much.
This is probably a problem of definitions: To you, "lying" seems to require the entity being lied to being a moral subject.
I'd argue that it's enough for it to have some theory of mind (i.e. be capable of modeling "who knows/believes what" with at least some fidelity), and for the liar to intentionally obscure their true mental state from it.
commakozzi|4 months ago
anonymous_sorry|4 months ago
HappMacDonald|4 months ago
I can lie to a McDonalds cashier about what food I want, or I can lie to a kiosk.. but in either circumstance I'll wind up being served the food that I asked for and didn't want, won't I?