Gasper Begus
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begus.bsky.social
Gasper Begus
@begus.bsky.social
Assoc. Professor at UC Berkeley
Artificial and biological intelligence and language
Linguistics Lead at Project CETI 🐳
PI Berkeley Biological and Artificial Language Lab 🗣️
College Principal of Bowles Hall 🏰
https://www.gasperbegus.com
Reposted by Gasper Begus
The Artificial Humanities preorders have arrived! Get your copy here:
www.amazon.com/Artificial-H...
November 4, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
What distinguishes humanity? The answer has often come back to our language abilities. But some linguists think that eventually, AI will demonstrate an understanding of language that’s better than our own.
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Thank you @insideclimatenews.org and @katiesurma.bsky.social for diving into our recent publication in partnership with The More-Than-Human Life Program (@nyulaw.bsky.social) by: César Rodríguez Garavito, David Gruber, Ashley Otilia Nemeth and @begus.bsky.social.
November 5, 2025 at 11:26 AM
The Artificial Humanities preorders have arrived! Get your copy here:
www.amazon.com/Artificial-H...
November 4, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
November 4, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Recursion, the linguistic ability to embed phrases within phrases, is perhaps the defining characteristic of the human mind. It also shows up in nature. www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
November 1, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Language can be tricky to parse without context. For instance, the sentence “Rowan fed his pet chicken” is ambiguous. Is the chicken Rowan’s pet or his pet’s meal? Some AI models can recognize the syntactic differences between these two possible meanings.
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
November 2, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Whoa, this is a stunning breakthrough. For the first time, AI models can analyze language as well as a human expert. This raises fascinating, huge questions about what it means to be human. An... https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-ai-models-analyze-language-as-well-as-a-human-expert-20251031/
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities? The post In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert first appeared on Quanta Magazine
www.quantamagazine.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
#AI Models analyse language as well as a human expert- If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that #LLLs have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-ai-models-analyze-language-as-well-as-a-human-expert-20251031/
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
🎃 LLMs can do linguistics 👻
Across history, linguists have insisted that language sets humans apart from other species. But a new study demonstrating AI’s startlingly complex “metalinguistic” skills threatens to throw mankind’s exclusivity out the window.
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
November 1, 2025 at 12:26 AM
🎃 LLMs can do linguistics 👻
Across history, linguists have insisted that language sets humans apart from other species. But a new study demonstrating AI’s startlingly complex “metalinguistic” skills threatens to throw mankind’s exclusivity out the window.
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
November 1, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Across history, linguists have insisted that language sets humans apart from other species. But a new study demonstrating AI’s startlingly complex “metalinguistic” skills threatens to throw mankind’s exclusivity out the window.
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
In a First, AI Models Analyze Language As Well As a Human Expert | Quanta Magazine
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
On whale rights, in the Inside Climate News today!

“They have grandmothers, family bonds and conversations. They mourn their dead,” he said. “When you listen long enough, you realize their inner worlds might be as complex as ours.”

insideclimatenews.org/news/2910202...
October 29, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Researchers are using AI to help understand sperm whale communications.

Lawyers think the discoveries could galvanize the world to recognize whales’ legal rights—and advance the global rights of nature movement.
October 29, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
$47 for the ticket and the book!
October 29, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Researchers are using AI to understand whale communications. The findings could put animals’ voices at the heart of legal battles to protect them.
AI Is Decoding Whales’ Communications. Could That Be a Turning Point in the Push for Their Rights? - Inside Climate News
The Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI) is using artificial intelligence to help understand sperm whale communications. Lawyers think the discoveries could galvanize the world to recognize whales’ ...
insideclimatenews.org
October 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
On whale rights, in the Inside Climate News today!

“They have grandmothers, family bonds and conversations. They mourn their dead,” he said. “When you listen long enough, you realize their inner worlds might be as complex as ours.”

insideclimatenews.org/news/2910202...
October 29, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Researchers are using AI to decode whale communications.

A new paper argues the findings could help make the case for the recognition of whales' legal rights—specifically a right to culture and a right to be free from torture.

insideclimatenews.org/news/2910202...
AI is Decoding Whales’ Language. Could That Be a Turning Point in the Push for Their Rights? - Inside Climate News
The Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI) is using artificial intelligence to help understand sperm whale communications. Lawyers think the discoveries could galvanize the world to recognize whales’ ...
insideclimatenews.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
$47 for the ticket and the book!
October 29, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Excited to launch my book Artificial Humanities in a conversation with Ted Chiang and James Yu at the Commonwealth Club!

Fiction is the new laboratory for testing, evaluating, and developing AI.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2025-...
A Conversation on Writing and AI: Once Upon an Algorithm
Leading writers and researchers will discuss and explain the issues that arise in writing with the entrance of large language models into this space. Are they useful for fiction and nonfiction writers...
www.commonwealthclub.org
October 28, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
"The capacity for language exists along a continuum [...]. The idea that language development does not require uniquely human properties becomes increasingly important as legal boundaries expand to include nonhuman species."
October 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"The capacity for language exists along a continuum [...]. The idea that language development does not require uniquely human properties becomes increasingly important as legal boundaries expand to include nonhuman species."
October 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Dive into our article written in partnership with MOTH (@nyulaw.bsky.social) now published in Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ) here: bit.ly/4hnUfbz 🐋🐝🐘🦋Co-authored by: César Rodríguez Garavito, David Gruber, Ashley Otilia Nemeth and @begus.bsky.social. 📸:Amanda Cotton, 🎨: Alejandro Ospina.
October 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Law is language. What does finding language-like structure in more-than-humans mean for the law?
Dive into our article written in partnership with MOTH (@nyulaw.bsky.social) now published in Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ) here: bit.ly/4hnUfbz 🐋🐝🐘🦋Co-authored by: César Rodríguez Garavito, David Gruber, Ashley Otilia Nemeth and @begus.bsky.social. 📸:Amanda Cotton, 🎨: Alejandro Ospina.
October 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Law is language. What does finding language-like structure in more-than-humans mean for the law?
Dive into our article written in partnership with MOTH (@nyulaw.bsky.social) now published in Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ) here: bit.ly/4hnUfbz 🐋🐝🐘🦋Co-authored by: César Rodríguez Garavito, David Gruber, Ashley Otilia Nemeth and @begus.bsky.social. 📸:Amanda Cotton, 🎨: Alejandro Ospina.
October 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM