In an op-ed published in TIME, CSET’s Helen Toner discusses the challenges of understanding and interacting with chatbots powered by large language models, a form of artificial intelligence. While these chatbots can generate impressive and sophisticated outputs, they are also prone to imperfections and inconsistencies. Toner suggests thinking of chatbots as “improv machines” to better understand their behavior. Like improv actors, chatbots aim to produce plausible responses based on the script of the interaction so far.

Read the full op-ed in TIME.