Why LLMs can't handle everyday social etiquette in Persian:

Reading between the lines, this is a really good caution for any diplomats who are thinking of firing their interpreters and replacing them with "AI".

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/when-no-means-yes-why-ai-chatbots-cant-process-persian-social-etiquette/

When “no” means “yes”: Why AI chatbots can’t process Persian social etiquette

New study examines how a helpful AI response could become a cultural disaster in Iran.

Ars Technica
@cstross I do wish people would stop thinking that AI can understand things at all, particularly non-white cultures (largely because AI tech bros are training them for Americans and so the biases show up). AI does not think. AI does not understand anything. The "answers" it give are based on what training has indicated an answer should look like. It doesn't have to be right for AI to mark it as successful. That's why we get hallucinations.

@nzlemming @cstross

> Hey chatgpt, how can i make <app> to do this fancy thing

>/usr/bin/app --fancy-thing

yeah, thanks for nothing