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IBM AI Fundamentals: Ambiguity in AI

Explore how ambiguous phrases like “Is your refrigerator running?” pose classification problems for AI systems. Learn about the challenges of natural language understanding in artificial intelligence.

Table of Contents

Question

What type of problem does the following sentence create for an AI system?

A. Is your refrigerator running?
B. Sentiment problem
C. Token movement problem
D. Grammar problem
E. Classification problem

Answer

The sentence “Is your refrigerator running?” creates a classification problem for an AI system.

E. Classification problem

Explanation

Human language is full of terms that are vague or have double meanings. This is called a classification problem. In the question, “running” can have two meanings. Running can mean running with your feet. And running can also mean functioning, as in the refrigerator is turned on and working.

A classification problem in AI involves categorizing input data into predefined classes or categories. In natural language processing (NLP), classification tasks include sentiment analysis, topic categorization, intent detection, and more.

The phrase “Is your refrigerator running?” is ambiguous and can be interpreted in two ways:

  1. As a genuine question inquiring about the operational status of a refrigerator.
  2. As a setup for a joke or prank, with the punchline being “Then you better go catch it!”

This ambiguity makes it difficult for an AI system to accurately classify the intent behind the question. The system would need to consider the context, tone, and potentially even the speaker’s identity to determine whether it is a sincere query or a humorous setup.

Without additional context, an AI model might struggle to classify this sentence correctly. It could mistakenly categorize it as a genuine question when it is intended as a joke, or vice versa. Dealing with ambiguity, sarcasm, idioms, and other nuances of human language is an ongoing challenge in NLP and AI.

To improve classification accuracy, AI systems can be trained on large datasets that include various examples of ambiguous phrases and their correct interpretations. Techniques like sentiment analysis, contextual embedding, and advanced machine learning algorithms can help AI better navigate the complexities of natural language.

In summary, the sentence “Is your refrigerator running?” poses a classification problem for AI due to its ambiguous nature, highlighting the challenges of natural language understanding in artificial intelligence.

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