Some AI models get more accurate at maths if you ask them to respond as if they are a Star Trek character, ML engineers say::Researchers asking a chatbot to optimize its own prompts found it was best at solving grade-school math when acting like it was on Star Trek.
It’s a reference to this scene from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).
Explanation without video
Scotty, having traveled back in time to the year 1986 as part of a mission to rescue some whales, attempts to use a computer by speaking to it and then mistakenly tries to use the mouse as a microphone when the machine does not respond. He is prompted to use the keyboard instead of verbal commands and gives information on how to manufacture transparent aluminum. This material was not invented until about 150 years later according to the pre-trip history of the Star Trek future but Scotty has given it a head start.
Helping people with their work through teams has taught me that voice control is a disaster to get anything done for anything other than just dictating text.
Oh, thank you for the lengthy explainer.
All I have in return is this fairly interesting video detailing one of the ways we’ve already found transparent metals. Perhaps over the next 150 years we’ll be able to stabilise the material structure.
Thanks again for explaining.