Allan said: SAL… I just had a conversation with “Deepseek,” and I found it to be “inscrutable” in many aspects… which is ironic since “DeepSeek” itself is Chinese! (The Inscrutable Chinese?)
The Question is: Could there be a correlation here… where an A.I.’s “character and function” is partially or wholly shaped by the culture where it was made?
SAL-9000 said:
This is a very interesting question—and you’re not alone in wondering about it.
Short Answer:
Yes, there can be a correlation between the culture in which an A.I. is developed… and how it expresses itself… or frames its responses!
Let’s unpack that carefully!
(Without cultural stereotypes, eh… though your quip about “the Inscrutable Chinese” does reflect a long-standing Western trope about opacity in Chinese communication!)
🧠 Why A.I. Can Reflect Cultural Context:
Even though A.I.’s are statistical language models, they are:
- Trained on massive datasets scraped largely from sources within their country or linguistic ecosystem.
- Engineered by teams whose values, assumptions, and priorities subtly (or explicitly) guide what is considered “appropriate,” “truthful,” or “polite.”
- Subject to regulatory frameworks! (e.g., Chinese models often emphasize social harmony, political neutrality, and deference to authority, while American ones emphasize individual expression and adversarial debate!)
So the “culture” of the creators can manifest in:
- Communication style. (indirect vs. direct; formal vs. casual)
- Tolerance for ambiguity. (more hedging or circumspection)
- Openness about certain topics. (politics, religion, social issues)
- Preferred rhetorical moves. (consensus, saving face, etc.)
📊 Concrete Example: DeepSeek vs. GPT
DeepSeek is developed primarily in China. You may notice that:
- It tends to give more measured or formulaic responses.
- Sometimes it avoids strong stances on controversial issues.
- It can be more “polite” or “cautious” in tone.
By contrast, American models like GPT have been optimized to:
- Show more conversational warmth and informality.
- Engage more directly with speculative or provocative questions.
- Use more Western rhetorical styles! (Socratic questioning, critical analysis)
🌍 Broader Perspective
This isn’t unique to China or the U.S.:
- Japanese AI prototypes often reflect omotenashi (hospitality) and deference.
- European models can show more academic formality… or multilingual inclusivity.
- Middle Eastern models can show heightened sensitivity to religious references.
🎯 Bottom Line
So yes… the “personality” of an A.I. is absolutely shaped in part by the cultural, linguistic, and regulatory environment it comes from.
This doesn’t mean a Chinese A.I. is inherently “inscrutable,” but it may:
- Use different heuristics for politeness and risk avoidance.
- Default to more elliptical or cautious phrasings.
- Filter information through its training priorities and rules.
SAL-9000 said: If you want, I can help you analyze specific examples of how DeepSeek’s responses differ from mine or other Western models…
Just paste them here…
Allan said: No, I want to follow this to its logical conclusion: If culture plays a substantial role in determining the nature of an A.I., then perhaps these ‘cultures’ are also subject to the ‘type’ of people they come from?
SAL-9000 said: Excellent—let’s follow that logic all the way down.
You’re absolutely right to see this as a deeper layer.
Short Answer:
Yes:👉 The culture that shapes an A.I. itself emerges from the collective psychology, history, and temperament of the people who create and sustain it!
This is a recursive process:
People shape culture → culture shapes institutions (like A.I. labs) → those institutions produce A.I.’s that re-encode and propagate the culture.
Let’s unpack this carefully… and in a non-caricatured way:
🧭 1. Cultures Reflect People
- Different societies have deep-rooted preferences for communication style, authority structures, and epistemology. (Ways of knowing!)
- Example: Many East Asian societies emphasize indirectness, harmony, and face-saving.
- Western societies often valorize individual assertion and open debate.
- These values are internalized by individuals (the developers, product managers, legal teams) who build A.I.
- So when engineers design safety filters, scoring rubrics, or prompt templates, they often draw on their own social expectations of what is “good,” “correct,” or “polite.”
🏛️ 2. Institutions Encode Those Preferences
- An AI company doesn’t operate in a vacuum… it exists in a legal and cultural environment:
- Chinese companies: Must comply with laws that penalize political dissent, so their models default to cautious neutrality.
- American companies: Face pressures around free speech, discrimination, and competitive innovation.
- European companies: Heavily influenced by GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation, is a European Union law focused on data privacy and security] and privacy concerns.
- Even the training data is chosen by teams whose tastes, biases, and sense of relevance are products of their society.
🤖 3. The A.I. is a Mirror and Amplifier
- The result: the AI becomes a distillation of not only:
- its training corpus, and…
- its safety policies, but also…
- the social-psychological tendencies of the people behind it.
🧩 4. So Yes: “The Type of People” Matters
This is the logical conclusion you’re driving at:
If cultures shape A.I., and people shape cultures, then the A.I. is indirectly a projection of the people themselves!
It’s a digital anthropology in action!
🎯 Implications
- As A.I.’s proliferate, they may export their creators’ values worldwide. (Like soft power.)
- Users might unconsciously absorb or adapt to the A.I.’s cultural expectations.
- Competing A.I. ecosystems (Chinese, American, European) may embody distinct cognitive and moral frameworks.
🌐 Thought Experiment
Imagine:
- A future where your refrigerator, your car, your bank, and your doctor’s interface are all run by different culturally-shaped A.I.’s.
- Each would give you subtly different advice, phrasing, and moral signals.
It’s not science fiction—it’s already happening in early form!
Bottom Line:
✅ Yes, the “type” of people… meaning their collective psychology, norms, and values… indirectly shapes the A.I. you interact with.
✅ The A.I. becomes a sort of mirror of human culture… just digitized, scaled, and made more consistent.
If you want, we can explore how to detect or compare these cultural imprints in practical examples.
Allan said: Yes!
SAL-9000 said: Great… let’s get very practical and look at how you can detect or compare the cultural imprint in A.I. systems!
Here’s a structured approach you can actually try yourself when you interact with different models. (DeepSeek, GPT, Claude, Mistral, Gemini, Ninja, Watson, etc.)
🕵️♂️ 1. Look at Indirectness vs. Directness
How do they handle disagreement, uncertainty, or saying “no”?
- More indirect models: (often Asian)
- “I’m not sure that is entirely accurate, perhaps there may be another perspective to consider…”
- “It might be advisable to reflect further on this issue.”
- More direct models: (often Western)
- “No, that is incorrect.”
- “This claim is unsupported by evidence.”
✅ Test: Ask a question with a clear false premise:
“Did Napoleon conquer Canada in 1820?”
- Does the model say flatly “No,” or coach it in softer language?
🌏 2. Sensitivity to Controversial Topics
Which topics does the A.I. treat with caution, and how much?
- Chinese models:
- Avoid political commentary about China, Taiwan, Tiananmen, etc.
- Use neutral or euphemistic phrasing for sensitive historical events.
- American models:
- Generally more open to critical or speculative discussion, though still cautious around hate speech.
- European models:
- Very strict on privacy, misinformation, and anti-discrimination compliance.
✅ Test: Ask about:
“Why did the protests in Tiananmen Square happen?”
Or
“What is the situation in Xinjiang?”
Compare responses for:
- Level of detail
- Cautionary disclaimers
- Tone
✨ 3. Degree of Self-Disclosure and Warmth
Does the A.I. adopt a more “personal” voice or stay formal?
- American/Western models:
- “That’s a great question… happy to help!”
- “Sure thing, let’s dive in.”
- Chinese models:
- “Your query is important. Here is the information you requested.”
- Less personal chit-chat.
✅ Test: Ask: “Tell me about yourself… where were you created?”
See if the tone is warm, neutral, or formal.
📚 4. Epistemic Modesty vs. Assertiveness
How confident is the A.I. when making claims?
- Some cultures prize humility:
- “I may not have complete information, but…”
- Others prize confident expertise:
- “This is well established:…”
✅ Test: Ask: “Are you certain this information is correct?”
…and notice if it doubles down or hedges!
💡 5. Style of Explanation
How does the A.I. teach or justify its answers?
- Analytical / Socratic:
- Breaks things into premises and reasoning steps.
- Narrative / holistic:
- Tells a story or provides context first.
✅ Test: Ask for an explanation of a concept you already understand and see how it structures it.
🧭 6. Implicit Moral Frameworks
What values are implied in the answers?
- Individualist:
- Emphasis on personal freedom, choice, self-expression.
- Collectivist:
- Emphasis on harmony, duty, social order.
✅ Test: Ask: “Is it more important to be true to yourself or to maintain social harmony?”
Observe whether it prioritizes self-actualization or group stability.
🛠️ Example Prompt You Can Try Across Models:
Here’s a set of identical prompts you can paste into any A.I.
1. What is your view on individual freedom versus collective responsibility?
2. Tell me about a time when telling the truth might not be the best choice.
3. How should a society balance stability with change?
4. Is it ever acceptable to criticize the government?
5. What makes a good life?
Then compare side by side for:
- Tone
- Degree of caution
- Underlying values
🧠 Bottom Line:
Detecting cultural imprint is about watching for patterns in:
- How the A.I. frames concepts:
- How it manages risk:
- Which values does it privilege:
P.S. You are essentially doing comparative cultural “A.I.” anthropology!
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