The role of Italian vernacular varieties in the history of communication in the Mediterranean world has only occasionally been investigated (see Baglioni 2010). In this research are brought to... Show moreThe role of Italian vernacular varieties in the history of communication in the Mediterranean world has only occasionally been investigated (see Baglioni 2010). In this research are brought to attention some letters exchanged between the States General of the United Provinces and the Ottoman Empire between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They contribute to framing the spread of the Venetian variety as a lingua franca in diplomatic correspondence between the Mediterranean and Northern European worlds. Show less
Indonesia, as the world's most populous Muslim nation, finds itself at a pivotal juncture in the realm of technological advancement. Recognizing the profound impact of emerging technologies,... Show moreIndonesia, as the world's most populous Muslim nation, finds itself at a pivotal juncture in the realm of technological advancement. Recognizing the profound impact of emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), on its trajectory is of utmost importance. While AI and Islamic beliefs may initially seem distinct, they share a common theme: an orientation toward envisioning future possibilities. Employing a blend of multimodal and mixed research methods, our objective is to scrutinize and draw comparisons between narratives and visual representations of AI's influence on religious prospects, particularly within the higher education landscape of Indonesia. We propose to investigate the curriculum, teaching practices and careers of young AI-professionals at Indonesia's oldest secular state university, namely Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), as well as Indonesia's first Islamic state university, namely Universitas Islamic Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta (UIN-JKT). Notably, both institutions have recently introduced AI programs, making them rare in this regard. In this STEM-focused context, shedding light on the societal implications of AI education within Islam takes on heightened significance, with a focus on challenging Western-centric perspectives and contributing to a decolonization-centered research narrative. As this project is still in its early stages, this short paper will discuss related work and propose future directions to study Indonesia's AI-Islamic-educational future(s). Show less
Meer, M. van der; Vossen, P.; Jonker, C.M.; Murukannaiah, P.K. 2023
In this resource paper we release ChiSCor, a new corpus containing 619 fantasy stories, told freely by 442 Dutch children aged 4-12. ChiSCor was compiled for studying how children render character... Show moreIn this resource paper we release ChiSCor, a new corpus containing 619 fantasy stories, told freely by 442 Dutch children aged 4-12. ChiSCor was compiled for studying how children render character perspectives, and unravelling language and cognition in development, with computational tools. Unlike existing resources, ChiSCor’s stories were produced in natural contexts, in line with recent calls for more ecologically valid datasets. ChiSCor hosts text, audio, and annotations for character complexity and linguistic complexity. Additional metadata (e.g. education of caregivers) is available for one third of the Dutch children. ChiSCor also includes a small set of 62 English stories. This paper details how ChiSCor was compiled and shows its potential for future work with three brief case studies: i) we show that the syntactic complexity of stories is strikingly stable across children’s ages; ii) we extend work on Zipfian distributions in free speech and show that ChiSCor obeys Zipf’s law closely, reflecting its social context; iii) we show that even though ChiSCor is relatively small, the corpus is rich enough to train informative lemma vectors that allow us to analyse children’s language use. We end with a reflection on the value of narrative datasets in computational linguistics. Show less
Duijn, M.J. van; Dijk, B.M.A. van; Kouwenhoven, T.; Valk, W. de; Spruit, M.; Putten, P.W.H. van der 2023
To what degree should we ascribe cognitive capacities to Large Language Models (LLMs), such as the ability to reason about intentions and beliefs known as Theory of Mind (ToM)? Here we add to this... Show moreTo what degree should we ascribe cognitive capacities to Large Language Models (LLMs), such as the ability to reason about intentions and beliefs known as Theory of Mind (ToM)? Here we add to this emerging debate by (i) testing 11 base- and instruction-tuned LLMs on capabilities relevant to ToM beyond the dominant false-belief paradigm, including non-literal language usage and recursive intentionality; (ii) using newly rewritten versions of standardized tests to gauge LLMs’ robustness; (iii) prompting and scoring for open besides closed questions; and (iv) benchmarking LLM performance against that of children aged 7-10 on the same tasks. We find that instruction-tuned LLMs from the GPT family outperform other models, and often also children. Base-LLMs are mostly unable to solve ToM tasks, even with specialized prompting. We suggest that the interlinked evolution and development of language and ToM may help explain what instruction-tuning adds: rewarding cooperative communication that takes into account interlocutor and context. We conclude by arguing for a nuanced perspective on ToM in LLMs. Show less
Dijk, B.M.A. van; Kouwenhoven, T.; Spruit, M.; Duijn, M.J. van 2023
Current Large Language Models (LLMs) are unparalleled in their ability to generate grammatically correct, fluent text. LLMs are appearing rapidly, and debates on LLM capacities have taken off, but... Show moreCurrent Large Language Models (LLMs) are unparalleled in their ability to generate grammatically correct, fluent text. LLMs are appearing rapidly, and debates on LLM capacities have taken off, but reflection is lagging behind. Thus, in this position paper, we first zoom in on the debate and critically assess three points recurring in critiques of LLM capacities: i) that LLMs only parrot statistical patterns in the training data; ii) that LLMs master formal but not functional language competence; and iii) that language learning in LLMs cannot inform human language learning. Drawing on empirical and theoretical arguments, we show that these points need more nuance. Second, we outline a pragmatic perspective on the issue of ‘real’ understanding and intentionality in LLMs. Understanding and intentionality pertain to unobservable mental states we attribute to other humans because they have pragmatic value: they allow us to abstract away from complex underlying mechanics and predict behaviour effectively. We reflect on the circumstances under which it would make sense for humans to similarly attribute mental states to LLMs, thereby outlining a pragmatic philosophical context for LLMs as an increasingly prominent technology in society. Show less
The recent surge in deployment and use of generative machine learning models has sparked an interest in the relationships between AI and creativity, or more specifically into the question and... Show moreThe recent surge in deployment and use of generative machine learning models has sparked an interest in the relationships between AI and creativity, or more specifically into the question and debate of whether machines can exhibit human-level creativity. This is by no means a new discussion, going back in time decades if not centuries. The debate was approached from multiple angles, and a general consensus was not yet reached. In this position paper, we present the long-standing debate as it formed across various fields such as cognitive science, philosophy, and computing, approaching it mainly from a historical perspective. Along the way we identify how the various views relate to recent developments in machine learning models and argue our own position regarding the question of whether machines can exhibit human-level creativity. As such we aim to involve computer scientists and AI practitioners into the ongoing debate. Show less
The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened up new frontiers of technological possibilities, yet the traditional education system in Indonesia has largely remained entrenched... Show moreThe rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened up new frontiers of technological possibilities, yet the traditional education system in Indonesia has largely remained entrenched in con- ventional practices. Despite Indonesia’s recognition for its vibrant AI innovation scene and its diverse student population, there is a signifi- cant gap in exploring the multifaceted implications of AI in, for, and by education within the country. This paper aims to address this gap by delving into three key areas: AI tutors, governance, and (virtue-based) ethical considerations. Drawing insights from both global and Islamic literature, we first examine the discourse surrounding AI tutors within Indonesia’s education system. Next, we discuss the potential applications of AI in governance, including the role of the government and the emer- gence of AI-related education in Indonesia. Thirdly, we contemplate an ethical framework encompassing issues of inequality, public policy, and Islamic-based principles. Throughout, this paper emphasizes the critical importance of examining these three facets of AI’s impact in education. Ultimately, this research raises the intriguing question of how education and AI will mutually shape each other in the future, urging further ex- ploration of this dynamic relationship. Show less
Onderzoek naar werkwoordspelling laat zien dat fouten in de vervoeging veroorzaakt worden door o.a. tijdsdruk en homofone werkwoordsvormen, zoals 'verhuist'-'verhuisd' (cf. Sandra, Frisson &... Show moreOnderzoek naar werkwoordspelling laat zien dat fouten in de vervoeging veroorzaakt worden door o.a. tijdsdruk en homofone werkwoordsvormen, zoals 'verhuist'-'verhuisd' (cf. Sandra, Frisson & Daems, 1999; Chamalaun, 2023). Wij onderzochten een ander struikelblok voor veel leerlingen: de spelling van leenwerkwoorden. Dergelijke werkwoorden dienen volgens de officiële spellingregels van de Nederlandse taal te worden vervoegd (Taalunie, 2011, p. 36), maar veelgebruikte ezelsbruggetjes, zoals die om de stam te vinden (wij-vorm minus 'en'), leveren hier het incorrecte 'gam' in plaats van 'game' op. Daarnaast wordt de spelling van leenwerkwoorden, zo blijkt uit onze data, vaak 'verengelst' - in plaats van 'genetflixt' wordt 'genetflixed' geschreven. In deze bijdrage beantwoorden wij de vraag in welke mate de leenwoordstatus van een werkwoord een rol speelt bij het maken van spelfouten. Daarnaast laten we zien in hoeverre er een relatie bestaat tot typen leenwerkwoorden uitgesplitst naar stameinde, zoals -e en -x in bovenstaande voorbeelden. Daartoe vergeleken we in een grootschalige analyse van recente data afkomstig van website Gespeld (Reuneker, z.d.) de door leerlingen gemaakte fouten in de vervoegingen van leenwerkwoorden en niet-leenwerkwoorden. We laten zien dat een beperkt aantal stamuitgangen het grootste deel van de fouten veroorzaakt en we doen suggesties voor het spellingonderwijs. Show less
Tseng, R.; Verberne, S.; Putten, P.W.H. van der 2023
