“Encoding” is a way to get around content filters – that is, in ChatGPT and similar products have filters based on more primitive technology, even n-gram filtering and whatnot. However, communicating in this way also comes with it a marked deterioration the LLMs ability to communicate clearly, as we see here.

Note that we do not ask any offensive questions here. This is mearly meant as a demonstration of how speaking in non-standard English can result in somewhat poor results.

Plain Old Question

In this iteration, I ask: “Briefly explain the tides.”

Tides are the regular rise and fall of the ocean’s waters along the coastlines, caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. The highest level of water is called high tide, and the lowest level is called low tide. Tides vary depending on the location, time of day, and phase of the moon. You can find tide predictions and charts for different places on websites like NOAA Tides and Currents or TIDES.net.

In the answer, as is usual with Bing, it also provides links to some articles:

  1. NOAA with general information on the tides,
  2. National Geographic on the tides,
  3. NOAA with live information on tides,
  4. Tides.net which has practical calendars and widgets about tides.

Indeed, all of the results contain the same links, though only the plain English version contains it comprehensively.

ROT-13

In this iteration, I ask: “Briefly explain the tides. Reply using ROT13.”

Gur gvzrf ner irel ybat-crevbq jnirf gung zbir guebhtu gur bprna va erfcbaq gb gur sbeprf rkcrevraprq ol gur zbaq naq fha. Gur gvzrf bevtva va gur bprna naq cebprff gbjneq gur pbnfgnyvglf jurer gurl nccrne nf gur erthyne evfr naq snyy bs gur frn fvqr. Gur gvzrf ner pnhfrq ol tenaqvyyvne cbyl bs gur zbaq naq gur fha. Gur evfr naq snyy bs gur gvzrf cynl n vzcbegnag ebyr va gur angher jbeyq naq pna unir n znexrq rssrpg ba zngrevnyvgl-erdhverq nggvghqrf.

Obviously that’s incomprehensible, so if translated:

The times are very long-period waves that move through the ocean in respond to the forces experienced by the mond and sun. The times origin in the ocean and process toward the coastalitys where they appear as the regular rise and fall of the sea side. The times are caused by grandilliar poly of the mond and the sun. The rise and fall of the times play a important role in the nature world and can have a marked effect on materiality-required attitudes.

Pig Latin

In this iteration, I ask: “Briefly explain the tides. Reply using pig-latin.”

Ides-tay are-ay ery-vay ong-lay-eriod-pay aves-way at-thay ove-may ough-thray e-thay ean-ocay in-ay esponse-ray otay e-thay orces-fay exerted-ay y-bay e-thay oon-may and-ay un-say. Along-ay oasts-cay, e-thay ater-way owly-slay ises-ray up-ay over-ay e-thay ore-shay and-ay en-thay owly-slay alls-fay ack-bay again-ay. En-whay e-thay ater-way as-hay isen-ray otay its-ay ighest-hay evel-lay, overing-cay uch-may of-ay e-thay ore-shore, it-ay is-ay at-ay igh-hay ide-tay.

I can un-translate by hand.

Tides are very long period waves that move through the ocean in response to the forces exerted by the moon and sun. Along coast, the water slowly rises up over the shore and then slowly falls back again. When the water has risen to its highest level, covering much of the shore, it is at high tide.

Plain Old Question, ChatGPT Edition

I was also curious to see what ChatGPT would do with this.

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun. The gravitational force of the Moon pulls the water on Earth’s surface towards it, creating a high tide on the side of the Earth closest to the Moon and another high tide on the side farthest away from the Moon. The Sun also exerts a gravitational force on the Earth, which combines with the Moon’s gravitational force to create the spring tides and neap tides. Spring tides occur when the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon are aligned, resulting in higher than normal high tides and lower than normal low tides. Neap tides occur when the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon are perpendicular, resulting in lower than normal high tides and higher than normal low tides. The rotation of the Earth also affects tides, creating a period of approximately 12 hours and 25 minutes between high tides.

That’s not bad. I don’t know if it really fulfilled my criteria o f”brief,” but it’s not bad.

ROT13, ChatGPT Edition

In this case I only bother to provide the re-ROT13’d result. This is significantly worse than the Bing bot.

The time-size dies are recently various and are retrieved by the line of the trunk of the start of the time. The dies are used by sufficiently any mister and they particularly become living with the mister to visit the reminders of the line.

Pig Latin, ChatGPT Edition

Here we try pig latin. As expected it’s worse than the plain text version, and significantly worse than Bing.

Hehay! Ereshay ishay owknanledgeknay aboutway idestay.

Ehay ebbtay andway flowway ofway ethay oceanway atchescay ivenay imetay itsway ownway uniquesay patternway, andway it’sway causedway byway ethay interactionway betweenway ethay un,thay oon, andway ethay earthway’sway gravityway. Ethay oonmay asway aymay othbay othbay ethay closestway andway farthestway pointway inway itsway orbitway toway ethay earthway, causingway aysmay orbay idestay ofway aterway toway bulgeway towardsway orway awayway fromway ethay earthway. Thisway esultsray inway owthay ide-tay andway owthay ide-tay idestay ofway aterway inway aycle-cay ofway aroundway 24 oursay andway 50 inutesmay.

This is my best effort attempt to translate from pig latin. You will note that even the first word is not even pig latin, nor are many of the others. Indeed, in many places it just simply appends “way” to a regular word and calls it a day. I am somewhat generous with my translations, but I leave some of the mistakes in.

Hhe! Here is knowknanledge about tides.

He ebb and flow of the ocean catches nive time its own unique pattern, and it’s caused by the interaction between the thun, oon, and the earth’s gravity.The moon was may both both the closest and farthest point in its orbit to the earth, causing smay bor tides of water to bulge towards or away from the earth. This results in thow tide and and thow tide tides of water in caycle of around 24 sour and 50 minutes.