"[..] if you ask questions like “answer with a single word: were any mammoths still alive in December”, chatbots will often answer "yes". [..] I find this weird [..]"
I don't and it's the technically correct answer. Hard to tell what I had answered unbiasedly now but I think more likely I'd said "yes" too than not. Especially when thinking about it and expecting a trick question.
JohnFen•2m ago
Except that (at least in idiomatic US language), if you refer to just "December" without qualifications, it's assumed that you're talking about either the previous or next December, depending on context.
That's why it's a weird answer, unless it was intended to leverage the ambiguity for comedic effect.
weinzierl•2h ago
I don't and it's the technically correct answer. Hard to tell what I had answered unbiasedly now but I think more likely I'd said "yes" too than not. Especially when thinking about it and expecting a trick question.
JohnFen•2m ago
That's why it's a weird answer, unless it was intended to leverage the ambiguity for comedic effect.