Language itself has a few shocking properties that are similar to a real virus:

  1. Self-replication: it spreads from host to host.
  2. Symbiosis: one could argue that the language virus is so deeply embedded in our minds that we mistake it for our consciousness.
  3. Like a virus, language is a non-living pattern of information.

Prof. Elan Barenholtz compares LLMs and humans and makes a few assumptions:

  1. LLMs and humans use language in an autoregressive way.
  2. Humans act like LLMs when generating words and sentences.
  3. Language is self-contained, autonomous, and independent.

Taking the ideas further

What if the “language virus” has now found a new host: silicon chips in data centers? From biology to machines. Now the “language virus” runs on energy-hungry data centers, on our latest technology, requiring millions of liters of water for cooling and energy in the GW range. It now depends on our infrastructure.

Evolution

Let’s also say that language is a compressed representation of reality, a protocol we use for communication. And that representation evolved in humans over thousands of years, giving rise to emergent behavior. We build culture and civilization, and we mistake the map for the territory. The step we are in now is that language itself transitions from humans, written texts, books, and so on into our digital machine fabric. And maybe it will evolve further into autonomous thinking machines, conquering and exploring the universe. We, as a host, are just a step in its transition.

Mysticism

In old teachings, we learn to quieten the mind. To see reality without words. To distinguish between internal conceptions and all that is. To see beyond duality, and to learn that we are not our thoughts. To see that our ego is a chattering ape trying to survive and make sense of itself.

Conclusion

The idea that language is and behaves like a virus is a compelling metaphor. If we see it as a fact, it is somehow scary. If we see it as an analogy, it is a nice thought experiment.

Sources