One thing that was particularly interesting from this interview was their discussion of linguistic contexts. Rayo was making the point that most human decisions are predictions of some sort, whether we are predicting how something will make someone feel, predicting what the best option is for ourselves, or predicting the way we should respond to something. This is based on our common sense and understanding of context. He argues that language works the same way—that it depends on context and social norms. He believes that it is crucial that our language is vague, so that we can flexibly use few words for many different meanings. Therefore, effective communication requires both people to be using predictions. Professor Goodman mentioned how Ifa diviners were trained experts, which led Rayo to the point that communication is much easier to those we are close with, since we have more information for our predictions. I found this entire discussion very interesting as a new framework for understanding communication.
I would then ask Rayo how he thinks people can best communicate about AI, its optimal applications, and its important limitations. Given the importance of context, and the rising conversations surrounding AI in the media, I would be interested to hear what he predicts the most important phrases or ideas are to emphasize and avoid. Much like Ben Shneiderman’s interview, they discussed the importance of understanding AI as a tool for humans. I think this framework is important, but I would be interested to hear how else we should or should not modify our diction throughout discussions of AI.