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"As a Language Model": Chat Template Switches LLM Self-Referential Voice

103 points · 110 comments · yu3zhou4

  1. Izmaki · · focus · HN ↗
    "As a Language Model..." is one of the beginnings of a sentence I hate the most from LLMs and is the reason why I support free (as in "Liberty"), local models. I'm well aware that it is not a doctor and cannot replace a real doctor with multiple years of experience, I don't need to waste braincell activity on reading that it "as a Language Model" cannot give a precise diagnosis and that I should ask a real doctor - all I want to know is if I what I experience justifies either A) ER, B) 3-4 weeks scheduled doctors appointment or C) two paracetamol and a nap.

    I don't want "jailbroken" LLMs to commit crime. I want them to avoid having this vendor-specific "bloatware" all over the product I'm using.

    1. Anduia · · focus · HN ↗
      Be careful there. LLMs may be good at identifying a condition based on a description of the symptoms, but they are much worse at recommending the correct course of action (getting it wrong half of the time).

      [0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nature.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;s41591-025-04074-y" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nature.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;s41591-025-04074-y

      1. arecurrence · · focus · HN ↗
        I would be careful treating this article as relevant in September 2026. The pace of advancement in the field is such that 6 months is relatively ancient let alone when the models in the study were released. GPT-4o was May 13, 2024. Far before November 2025 when people collectively noticed a turn in LLM value.

        LLMs earlier this year were surpassing numerous health related benchmarks when scored against human physicians. Only 2 months after this nature article Harvard posted that LLMs were now outperforming ER docs when given authority to order tests. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.harvardmagazine.com&#x2F;ai&#x2F;ai-outperforms-doctors-diagnosis-harvard-study" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.harvardmagazine.com&#x2F;ai&#x2F;ai-outperforms-doctors-di...

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