我们应该害怕聊天机器人吗？⏲️ 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这是 BBC 英语教学的六分钟英语。

I'm Neil.

我是尼尔（Neil）。

And I'm Rob.

我是罗布（Rob）。

Now, I'm sure most of us have interacted with a chatbot. 短語搭配

我想我们大多数人都和聊天机器人互动过。

These are bits of computer technology that respond to text with text 短語搭配

这些计算机技术能用文本回复文本，

or respond to your voice.

或者回应你的声音。

You ask it a question and usually it comes up with an answer. 短語動詞

你问它一个问题，它通常会给出一个答案。

Yes, it's almost like talking to another human. 語法

是的，这就好像是在和另一个人说话。

But of course, it's not.

但当然，并非如此。

It's just a clever piece of technology.

它只是一项聪明的技术。

It's becoming more sophisticated, 用詞

它正变得越来越精密，

more advanced and complex.

越来越先进和复杂。

But could they replace real human interaction altogether? 短語搭配

但它们能完全取代真实的人类互动吗？

We'll discuss that more in a moment

我们稍后会详细讨论，

and find out if chatbots really think for themselves. 講解

并看看聊天机器人是否真的会独立思考。

But first,

但首先，

I have a question for you, Rob.

我有一个问题要问你，Rob。

The first computer program that allowed some kind of plausible conversation 用詞

第一个能够让人类和机器之间

between humans and machines was invented in 1966.

进行某种合理对话的计算机程序发明于 1966 年。

But what was it called?

但它叫什么名字呢？

Was it A, Alexa,

是 A，Alexa，

B, Eliza,

B，Eliza，

or C, Parry?

还是 C，Parry？

Uh, well, it's not Alexa.

嗯，不是 Alexa。

That's too new.

那太新了。

So, I'll guess C,

所以我猜是 C，

Parry.

Parry。

I'll reveal the answer at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

我会在节目的最后揭晓答案。

Now, the old chatbots of the 1960s and 70s

20 世纪 60 年代和 70 年代的老式聊天机器人

were quite basic.

相当基础。

But more recently, 表達脈絡

但最近，

the technology is able to predict the next word that is likely to be used in a sentence. 語法

这项技术能够预测句子中可能使用的下一个词。

And it learns words and sentence structures.

并且它会学习单词和句子结构。

Hmm, it's clever stuff.

嗯，这东西很聪明。

I've experienced using them when talking to my bank

我在和银行联系的时候，

or when I have problems trying to book a ticket on a website. 短語搭配

或者在网站上订票遇到问题的时候，体验过使用它们。

I no longer phone a human. 語法

我不再打电话给真人了。

I speak to a virtual assistant instead. 用詞

取而代之的是，我和虚拟助手说话。

Probably the most well-known chatbot at the moment 短語搭配

目前最著名的聊天机器人可能

is ChatGTP.

是 ChatGTP。

It is.

确实是。

The claim is that it's able to answer anything you ask it. 表達脈絡

据说它能够回答你问的任何问题。

This includes writing students' essays.

这包括给学生写论文。

Now, this is something that was discussed

这是在

on the BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth. 文化背景

BBC 广播 4 台的《Word of Mouth》节目中讨论过的一个话题。

Emily M. Bender,

艾米丽·M·本德（Emily M. Bender），

professor of computational linguistics at the University of Washington, 用詞

华盛顿大学计算语言学教授，

explained why it's dangerous

解释了为什么总是

to always trust what a chatbot is telling us. 語法

相信聊天机器人的话是危险的。

We tend to react to grammatical, fluent, coherent-seeming text 講解

我们往往会对符合语法、流畅、看似连贯的文本

as authoritative and reliable and valuable.

作权威、可靠和有价值的反应。

And we need to be on guard against that 短語搭配

我们需要对此保持警惕，

because what's coming out of ChatGTP is none of that. 講解

因为 ChatGTP 输出的内容根本不是那样的。

So, Professor Bender says that well-written text that is coherent,

所以，本德教授说，连贯且写得好的文本，

that means it's clear, carefully considered and sensible,

这意味着它清晰、经过深思熟虑且合情合理，

makes us think what we are reading is reliable 語法

让我们认为自己正在阅读的内容是可靠

and authoritative.

和权威的。

So, it's respected, accurate,

也就是受人尊敬的、准确的，

and important-sounding. 用詞

听起来很重要的。

Yes, chatbots might appear to write in this way, 語法

是的，聊天机器人似乎是以这种方式写作的，

but really they are just predicting one word after another 短語搭配

但实际上它们只是

based on what they have learned. 語法

根据它们所学到的内容逐词预测。

We should therefore be on guard,

因此我们应该保持警惕（on guard），

be careful and alert about the accuracy of what we're being told.

对被告知内容的准确性保持小心和机警。

One concern is that chatbots, a form of artificial intelligence, 用詞

一个担忧是，聊天机器人作为一种人工智能，

work a bit like a human brain 表達脈絡

其工作原理有点像人脑，

in the way it can learn and process information.

它们都能学习和处理信息。

They're able to learn from experience, 短語搭配

它们能够从经验中学习，

something called deep learning. 用詞

这被称为深度学习。

A cognitive psychologist and computer scientist called Geoffrey Hinton

一位名叫杰弗里·辛顿（Geoffrey Hinton）的认知心理学家和计算机科学家

recently said he feared that chatbots

最近表示，他担心聊天机器人

could soon overtake the level of information that a human brain holds. 用詞

可能很快会超过人脑所掌握的信息量。

That's a bit scary, isn't it? 語氣意圖

这有点吓人，不是吗？

Hmm, but for now, 表達脈絡

嗯，但就目前而言，

chatbots can be useful for practical information.

聊天机器人在提供实用信息方面还是很有用的。

But sometimes, we start to believe they are human

但有时，我们开始相信它们是人类，

and we interact with them in a human-like way. 短語搭配

并以类似人类的方式与它们互动。

This can make us believe them even more. 語法

这会让我们更加相信它们。

Professor Emma Bender, speaking on the BBC's Word of Mouth program,

艾玛·本德（Emma Bender）教授在 BBC 的《Word of Mouth》节目中发言时，

explains why we might feel like that.

解释了我们为什么会有这种感觉。

I think what's going on there is 短語搭配

我认为这里的情况是，

the kinds of answers you get

你得到的答案类型

depend on the questions you put in. 短語動詞

取决于你输入的问题。

Because it's doing likely next word, 用詞

因为它在做的是“最可能的下一个词”，

likely next word.

“最可能的下一个词”。

And so,

所以，

if as the human interacting with this machine,

如果你作为与这台机器互动的人类，

you start asking it questions about how do you feel,

开始问它问题，比如“你感觉怎么样，

you know, chatbot?

聊天机器人？”

And what do you think of this?

“你对这件事怎么看？”

And what are your goals?

还有“你的目标是什么？”

You can provoke it to say things 用詞

你可以诱导它说出

that sound like what a sentient entity would say. 語法

听起来像是一个有感知能力的实体会说的话。

We are really primed to imagine a mind behind language 習語

我们真的倾向于一遇到语言

whenever we encounter language.

就去想象语言背后有一个心智。

And so,

因此，

we really have to account for that 短語動詞

在对这些事物做决定时，

when we're making decisions about these.

我们必须考虑到这一点。

So, although a chatbot might sound human, 語法

所以，尽管聊天机器人听起来像人类，

we really just ask it things to get a reaction. 短語搭配

我们真的只是通过问它事情来获得反应。

We provoke it.

我们诱导（provoke）它。

And it answers only with words it's learned to use before,

它只用以前学过的词来回答，

not because it has come up with a clever answer.

而不是因为想出了什么绝妙的答案。

But it does sound like a sentient entity. 用詞

但它听起来确实像一个有感知的实体。

Sentient describes a living thing

有感知的（sentient）描述的是

that experiences feelings.

体验情感的生物。

As Professor Bender says,

正如本德教授所说，

we imagine that when something speaks,

我们想象当有什么东西在说话时，

there is a mind behind it.

背后就存在一个心智。

But, sorry, Neil,

但是，对不起，Neil，

they are not your friend. 語氣意圖

它们不是你的朋友。

They're just machines.

它们只是机器。

Yes, it's strange then that we sometimes give chatbots names.

是的，奇怪的是我们有时还会给聊天机器人起名字。

Alexa, Siri.

Alexa，Siri。

And earlier,

之前，

I asked you what the name was for the first ever chatbot. 短語搭配

我问你世界上第一个聊天机器人叫什么名字。

And I guessed it was Parry.

我猜是 Parry。

Was I right?

我对了吗？

You guessed wrong,

你猜错了，

I'm afraid. 語氣意圖

恐怕。

Parry was an early form of chatbot 短語搭配

Parry 是早期的一种聊天机器人，

from 1972.

来自 1972 年。

But the correct answer was Eliza.

但正确答案是 Eliza。

It was considered to be the first chatterbot, as it was called then, 用詞

它被认为是当时所谓的第一个喋喋不休的机器人（chatterbot），

and was developed by Joseph Weizenbaum

由约瑟夫·魏岑鲍姆（Joseph Weizenbaum）

at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

在麻省理工学院开发。

Fascinating stuff. 語氣意圖

真是有趣。

Okay, now let's recap some of the vocabulary we highlighted in this program, 表達脈絡

好了，现在让我们回顾一下这档节目中重点提到的一些词汇，

starting with sophisticated,

从“复杂的、精密的（sophisticated）”开始，

which can describe technology that is advanced and complex.

它可以形容先进且复杂的技术。

Something that is coherent is clear,

连贯的（coherent）事物是清晰的、

carefully considered and sensible.

经过深思熟虑且合理的。

Authoritative means respected,

权威的（authoritative）意味着受尊敬、

accurate,

准确

and important-sounding.

和听起来很重要的。

When you are on guard,

当你在警戒（on guard）时，

you must be careful and alert about something.

你必须对某些事情小心机警。

It could be the accuracy of what you see or hear,

这可能是你所看或所听内容的准确性，

or just being aware of the dangers around you.

或者只是意识到你周围的危险。

To provoke means to do something

诱导、激起（provoke）意思是做一些事情，

that causes a reaction from someone.

引起某人的反应。

Sentient describes something

有感知的（sentient）描述的是

that experiences feelings.

能够体验情感的生物。

So,

所以，

it's something that is living.

它是某种有生命的东西。

Once again,

再一次，

our six minutes are up. 短語動詞

我们的六分钟到了。

Goodbye.

再见。

Bye for now.

回头见。

Six Minute English

六分钟英语

from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com。