Department of Linguistics

"While so many of us were focused on fictional superintelligent machines that we were told could hypothetically cause human extinction, however, there was a more serious story being reported. A series of events almost got us to armageddon, not caused by rogue, superintelligent AI, but by government reliance on error-prone systems that are marketed by their manufacturers as being close to superintelligent," write Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, and Timnit Gebru.

Is it possible that AI is or might one day become trulyintelligent? We put this question to five experts working in a variety of fields, including linguistics, computer science, cognitive science and psychology. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

"Its been a busy few months for AI hype. At the end of April, Anthropic claimed that its model Claude Mythos is better at finding software vulnerabilities than most security experts. Then we had the OpenAIHugging Face hacking incident, after which Anthropic (proudly) and Meta (reluctantly) disclosed similar incidents involving their models," write Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, and Timnit Gebru.

After Iran intensified its demands over the weekend before it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump didnt threaten new strikes but instead indicated that he planned to choke Iran economically. Jamaal Muwwakkil, assistant professor of anthropology at the UW, is quoted.

In March 2021, a group of four linguists and computer scientists published their now legendary paper On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? It argued that large language models generate text by statistically predicting likely sequences of words rather than understanding what they are saying. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is featured.

While February might be just 28 days, the UW College of Arts & Sciences offers an exciting lineup of more than 40 in-person and online events. From thought-provoking art and music to conversations on culture, history, and science, the UW community invites you to explore, learn, and connect across disciplines throughout the University.

With the recent arrival of generative AI programs that can write conversationally, produce vivid imagery, and perform myriad tasks for us, some technologists believe the superintelligent machines of science fiction are right around the corner. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

With the recent arrival of generative AI programs that can write conversationally, produce vivid imagery, and perform myriad tasks for us, some technologists believe the superintelligent machines of science fiction are right around the corner. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted. This story was originally published in National Geographic.

Over the course of two months, Bloomberg Businessweek conducted interviews with 18 people who either have experienced delusions after interactions with chatbots or are coping with a loved one who has, and analyzed hundreds of pages of chat logs from conversations that chronicle these spirals. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

"When we tell students they can get 'answers' from a chatbot, we are failing to model or encourage the kind of sophisticated information-seeking behavior that underlies critical thinking," writes Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW.

Come curious. Leave inspired. We welcome you to connect with us this autumn quarter through an incredible lineup of more than 30 events, exhibitions, podcasts, and more. From thought-provoking talks on monsters to boundary-pushing performances by Grammy-nominated Mariachi ensembles, its a celebration of bold ideas and creative energy. ArtSci On Your Own Time Exhibition: Woven...

In part two of this investigation, public records show a Bellingham staffer asking ChatGPT to write responses to emails about parking, traffic, a homeless camp and more. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT are used more and more by local governments, adoption is often outpacing potential safeguards and ethical guardrails. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

"Perceptions of AIs relentless march toward becoming more intelligent than humans, even becoming a threat to humanity, came to a screeching halt Aug. 7. That was the day when the most widely followed AI company, OpenAI, released GPT-5, an advanced product that the firm had long promised would put competitors to shame and launch a new revolution in this purportedly revolutionary technology. As it happened, GPT-5 was a bust," writes Michael Hiltzik. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

"Is AI going to take over the world? Have scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to replace all our jobs, even creative ones, like doctors, teachers and care workers? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything?" writes Luke Munn research fellow at the University of Queensland. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Distinguished Teaching Award, the UW’s highest teaching honor. And now, drumroll please, here are this year’s stars.