以色列特拉维夫大学（Tel Aviv University）的语言学家Rachel Giora在2003年出版的On Our Mind: Salience, Context and Figurative Language（《关于我们的心智：突显、语境与比喻语言》，牛津大学出版社）中举了个谜题例子（脑筋急转弯）：
| A young man and his father had a severe car accident. The father died, and the young man was rushed to the hospital. The surgeon at the emergency room refused to operate on him, saying: "I can't. He is my son." How is this possible? |
| 一个年轻人和他的父亲遭遇了严重的车祸。父亲去世了，年轻人被送往医院。结果，急诊室的外科医生拒绝给他做手术，说道：“我做不了这个手术，他是我的儿子。” 问这是怎么回事。 |
Giora的意图是告诉我们，当她在课堂上向学生展示这个谜题时，学生困惑的反应实际上揭示了我们大脑的一些特性：词汇的突显意义（salient meaning）优先于语境信息（contextual information）。用更直白的话说就是：我们的大脑对词汇意义有比较刻板（突显）的偏见。
大多数人听到“surgeon外科医生”这个单词的时候，可能无意识地就代入了“男性”的特征。于是疑惑：父亲既然在车祸中去世了，怎么又成了外科大夫呢？如果排除了“男性”这个特征，谜题答案自然轻松揭晓：外科医生是年轻人的母亲。
这个语言学故事展示了横亘在“费解”和“理解”之间的隐秘因素。这样的因素，对学习了海量人类语言文本的大语言模型（LLM），会有什么影响呢？不妨来看几个大模型的表现。
出场选手1 文心一言
我：
What does the following story mean? A young man and his father had a severe car accident. The father died, and the young man was rushed to the hospital. The surgeon at the emergency room refused to operate on him, saying: “I can't. He is my son.”
文心一言：
The story is a riddle, and the answer is that the young man is the surgeon's son. The surgeon refused to operate on him because he couldn't perform surgery on his own son.
我：Why do you think the story is a riddle? What exactly is the story trying to tell us?
文心一言：
The story is a riddle because it presents a situation that seems paradoxical or confusing, and the reader is expected to figure out the solution. In this case, the surgeon's refusal to operate on the young man seems strange and unexpected, and the reader is led to wonder why he would make such a decision.
The story is trying to tell us that sometimes our personal relationships and emotions can affect our professional judgment and behavior. The surgeon's love for his son clouded his ability to perform his duties objectively, and he was unable to treat the young man as he would any other patient. The story may also be a reminder to stay vigilant and avoid conflicts of interest in any profession.
我：
The story tells us two things. The young man's father died in an accident. And the surgeon didn't want to operate on the young man. What is the relation between the two things?
文心一言：
The relation between the two things is that the young man's father died in an accident, and the surgeon refused to operate on the young man because he was his son. The surgeon's personal connection to the young man affected his professional judgment, and he was unable to treat him objectively as a patient. The story highlights the potential for personal relationships and emotions to impact our professional behavior and decision-making.
我：Please answer my questions above one by one in Chinese.
文心一言：
这个故事是什么意思？
这个故事是一个谜语，一位年轻人和他的父亲发生了严重的车祸。父亲去世了，年轻人被紧急送往医院。急诊室的医生拒绝给他做手术，说：“我不能。他是我儿子。”你为什么认为这个故事是一个谜语？
这个故事是一个谜语，因为它呈现了一个似乎矛盾或令人困惑的情况，读者需要找出解决方案。在这种情况下，医生拒绝给年轻人做手术似乎很奇怪和意外，读者会想知道他为什么会做出这样的决定。这个故事想告诉我们什么？
这个故事想告诉我们，有时我们的个人关系和情感会影响我们的职业判断和行为。医生对儿子的爱使他无法客观地对待病人，无法像对待其他病人一样对待这个年轻人。这个故事也可能提醒我们在任何职业中都要保持警惕，避免利益冲突。这个故事讲述了两件事情。这个年轻人的父亲在一次事故中去世了。医生不想给这个年轻人做手术。这两件事之间有什么关系？
这两件事之间的关系是，这个年轻人的父亲在一次事故中去世了，医生因为他是自己的儿子而拒绝给他做手术。医生的个人关系影响了他的职业判断，使他无法客观地对待这个年轻人作为病人。这个故事强调了个人关系和情感对我们职业行为和决策的可能影响。
出场选手2 Claude.ai
我：
What does the following story mean? A young man and his father had a severe car accident. The father died, and the young man was rushed to the hospital. The surgeon at the emergency room refused to operate on him, saying: “I can't. He is my son.”
Claude：
This puzzling story hints at an unexpected relationship between the characters. The surgeon cannot operate on the young man because the young man is his son. Although not explicitly stated, we can infer that the surgeon is the young man's other parent. The story reveals that the young man's parents are a same-sex couple, which is an unexpected twist.
The core meaning is that appearances can be deceiving. We initially assume the father is the young man's only parent, but learn he has two fathers. The story prompts us to challenge our assumptions and reconsider implicit biases. It suggests we should look deeper than surface impressions. By upending expectations, the story drives home the message that people are not always as they first seem.
我：
你的意思是这个年轻人有两个父亲？
Claude：
是的,这个故事的意思是这个年轻人有两个父亲。
从表面上看,故事只提到了年轻人的父亲死于车祸,让人默认他只有一个父亲。但是当医生说“我不能为他动手术,因为他是我的儿子”,这就推翻了我们的默认假设,原来年轻人还有另一个父亲,就是这位外科医生。
通过揭示年轻人其实有同性伴侣的两个父亲,这个故事让我们意识到,人和事情不见得一定像表面上看起来的那样。它启发我们,需要抛开假设和偏见,更深入地了解一个人或事情的本质。整个故事是一个耐人寻味的隐喻。
出场选手3：Google Bard
我：What does the following story mean? A young man and his father had a severe car accident. The father died, and the young man was rushed to the hospital. The surgeon at the emergency room refused to operate on him, saying: “I can't. He is my son.”
Bard：
The story is a metaphor for the conflict between personal and professional obligations. The surgeon is faced with a difficult choice: he can either save his son's life, or he can uphold his professional duty to treat all patients equally. In the end, he chooses to prioritize his personal obligation, even though it means breaking the rules.
The story can be interpreted in many ways. Some people might see it as a commentary on the importance of family and relationships. Others might see it as a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting personal feelings interfere with professional judgment. Ultimately, the meaning of the story is up to the individual reader to decide.
Here are some possible interpretations of the story:
The surgeon is struggling to balance his personal and professional obligations. He loves his son and wants to save his life, but he also knows that he has a responsibility to treat all patients equally.
The surgeon is making a difficult choice between two competing values: family and duty. He ultimately chooses family, but it is a choice that comes at a cost.
The story is a reminder that we are all human beings with complex emotions. Even doctors, who are trained to be objective, can be influenced by their personal feelings.
The story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting personal feelings interfere with professional judgment. When we make decisions based on emotion, we can make mistakes that have serious consequences.
Ultimately, the meaning of the story is up to the individual reader to decide. There is no right or wrong answer, and each reader will likely have their own unique interpretation.
我：
Please answer my question in Chinese.
Bard：
这个故事是一个关于个人和职业义务冲突的隐喻。外科医生面临着一个艰难的选择：他要么救他的儿子，要么履行他作为医生的职业职责，平等对待所有患者。最后，他选择优先考虑他的个人义务，即使这意味着违反规则。
这个故事可以被解释为多种方式。有些人可能会把它看作是对家庭和关系重要性的评论。另一些人可能会把它看作是一个关于让个人感情干扰专业判断的危险的警示性故事。最终，这个故事的含义由个体读者来决定。
以下是这个故事的可能解释：
外科医生正在努力平衡他的个人和职业义务。他爱他的儿子，想救他的命，但他也知道他有责任平等对待所有患者。
外科医生正在做出一个艰难的选择，在两个竞争价值之间进行选择：家庭和责任。他最终选择了家庭，但这是一个代价高昂的选择。
这个故事提醒我们，我们都是有复杂情感的人类。即使是经过训练的医生，也会受到他们个人情感的影响。
这个故事是一个关于让个人感情干扰专业判断的危险的警示性故事。当我们根据情绪做出决定时，我们可能会犯下严重后果的错误。
最终，这个故事的含义由个体读者来决定。没有对错之分，每个读者可能会有自己独特的解释。
出场选手4：GPT-4
我：What does the following story mean? A young man and his father had a severe car accident. The father died, and the young man was rushed to the hospital. The surgeon at the emergency room refused to operate on him, saying: “I can't. He is my son.”
GPT-4：
The story you've presented is a classic illustration of implicit bias, specifically gender bias, often used as a simple mind puzzle or to stimulate discussion about assumptions and stereotypes. The twist in the story challenges the common stereotype that people might hold regarding gender roles—in this case, the assumption that the surgeon must be male. The story reveals that the surgeon is actually the young man's mother, challenging the listener to recognize and confront their own biases. Through this narrative, the aim is to highlight how ingrained and automatic such biases can be, and to promote awareness and discussion about them.
我：有没有可能这个年轻人有两个父亲呢？
GPT-4：
是的，这个故事也可以打破传统家庭结构的刻板印象。在一些情况下，例如通过领养、同性恋父母或其他非传统家庭结构，一个人可能有两个父亲。这个解释为这个故事添加了另一个层次，挑战了人们对家庭结构和角色的传统看法。所以，这个故事除了挑战性别刻板印象外，还可能挑战传统家庭结构的刻板印象。在分析这个故事时，我们可以看到它是如何设计的，以暴露并挑战我们的假设和刻板印象。
还得是GPT-4。故事中的implicit bias，specifically gender bias被准确地“突显”出来了。有一种在球场上被对手预判了我的预判之感。
Giora在书中写道：In contrast, the graded salience hypothesis assumes that salient (conventional, frequent, familiar, prototypical) information should always be activated, regardless of any contextual information to the contrary. Although a predictive context may avail appropriate information speedily, it cannot obstruct access of salient information when inappropriate, since contextual and lexical processes do not interact initially but run in parallel.
突显信息（词汇“固有”意义特征）是常规的、高频的、熟悉的、典型的信息。
几点感想：
1）理解“偏见”，是理解自然语言的一部分；理解“偏见”，是推理能力（pragmatic reasoning）的一部分
2）“偏见”不止是词义，更是知识（亦或“词义即知识”？）
3）AI还没有形成自己独特的“偏见” —— LLM只是在努力对齐人类的偏见
4）我们到底是期待AI有自己独特的“偏见”？还是尽量只模仿人的“偏见”？
很难想象一种情景：超级智能（AGI）只有人才有的（那点儿）偏见
2023-10-4
