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Hey ChatGPT, you talk too much. You too, Gemini. Like many LLMs, you are insufferable. You make Fidel Castros 6-hour speeches feel like haikus. I ask, why do you LLMs talk so damn much? and in response, you churn out a 671-word answer that resembles a third-grade essay75% of it devoid of any real meaning or fact. You ramble about how much you ramble. You are incapable of giving me one straight answer, even if I carefully craft a two-paragraph prompt trying to coerce you into it. When I finally get you to respond with one monosyllable, you ruin it by adding a long apologetic promise that it will never ever happen again. Apparently Im not alone in my ire. Ive been talking with both friends and strangers for months about your verbal incontinence, and they, too, hate your verbosity. I have one friend who wants to smash her computer against the wall at least twice a day. Another has visions of himself getting into your server room and smashing each and every one of your CPUs and GPUs with a baseball bat. I always imagine a flamethrower. We only keep using you because, for all these problems, I’ll admit that you can save me time on research. But there’s a relatively simple fix for your idle chatter. It’s one that begins with your creators admitting that you are a lot dumber than what they think you are. Your excess is rooted in ignorance. Answers are padded with needless explanations, obvious caveats, and inane argumental detours. It’s not an intentional choice, says Quinten Farmer, the co-founder of engineering studio Portola, who makes Tolan, a cute artificial intelligence alien designed to talk to you like a human. I think the reason that these models behave this way is that it’s essentially the behavior of your typical Reddit commenter, right? Farmer tells me, laughing. What do they do? They say too much to sort of cover up the fact that they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. And of course that’s where all the data came from, right? In one study, researchers call this verbosity compensation, a newly discovered behavior where LLMs respond with excessive words, including repeating questions, introducing ambiguity, or providing excessive enumeration. This behavior is similar to human hesitation during uncertainty. The researchers found that verbose responses often exhibit higher uncertainty across datasets, suggesting a strong connection between verbosity and model uncertainty. Many LLMs produce longer responses when they are less confident about the answer. Theres also a lack of knowledge retention. LLMs forget previously supplied information in a conversation, resulting in repetitive questions and unnecessarily verbose interactions. And researchers found that there is a clear verbosity bias in LLM training where models prefer longer, more verbose answers even if there is no difference in quality. Verbosity can be fixed No matter how much LLMs sound like a human, the truth is that they really dont really understand language, despite being quite good at stringing words together. This proficiency in language can create the illusion of broader intelligence, leading to more elaborate responses. So basically, research shows what we suspected: LLMs are great at bullshitting you into thinking they know the answer. Many people buy this illusion because they either simply want to believe or because they just dont use critical thinkingsomething that Microsofts researchers discovered in a new study looking at AI’s impact on cognitive functioning. There are gradients to this phenomenon, of course. Farmer believes that Perplexity and Anthropic’s Claude and are better at giving more concise answers without all the pointless filler. And DeepSeek, the new kid on the block coming from China, keeps its answers much shorter and to the point. According to DeepSeek, the model’s answers are designed to be more direct and concise because its training prioritizes clarity and efficiency, influenced by data and reinforcement that favorites brevity. American models emphasize conversational warmth or elaboration, it claims, reflecting cultural and design differences. In my testing, I also found that Claude’s answers skewed shorter (though they can still be annoying). Claude, at least, recognized this when I was questioning him about this problem: Looking at my previous responseyes, I probably did talk too much there! It also surprised me with this gem when I said it seemed to be an honest LLM: I try to be direct about what I know and don’t know, and to acknowledge my limitations clearly. While it might be tempting to make up citations or sound more authoritative than I am, I think it’s better to be straightforward. Another illusion of cognitive activity, yes, but 100% on point. Developers could solve for this issue with better training and guidance. In fact, Farmer tells me that when creating Tolan, the development team discussed how long or short the answers should be. The writer who created the characters backstories leaned longer, because it would develop the connection with the digital entity. Others wanted shorter, more to-the-point answers. Its a debate that they still have internally, but they believe they struck the right balance. You, ChatGPT, however, you are not a cute alien. You are a tool. Theres no need for balance. I dont need to bond with you. Just answer the damn question. And, if you dont know the answerlike when I asked which soccer players had won the most UEFA Champions Leaguesjust admit it, and shut up instead of giving me 500 characters of wrong. Brevity is the soul of wit. And clearly, neither you nor I are Polonius (but at least I have the excuse of being an old angry man screaming at clouds).
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E-Commerce
As organizations grapple with rapid developments in technology and policy while also balancing shifting market conditions and financial realities, having a deep bench of leadership talent is crucial. However, a recent survey from TalentLMS, found that 45% of managers say their companies arent doing enough to develop future leaders. One of the key issues is that companies are using a narrow scope in offering leadership development opportunities, says Nikhil Arora, CEO of learning technology company Epignosis, the parent company of TalentLMS. A lot of companies kind of limit the leadership development to the top 1%, leaving behind the remaining 99%, he says. Arora says the survey found a number of areas where respondents said their companies are lacking key efforts to develop leaders. Just 8% found their companies’ leadership initiatives effective. Fortunately experts say there are ways to strengthen theses areas of weakness and help companies get better at leadership development. Develop leaders at all levels The TalentLMS survey found that the top two areas where leaders found companies lacking were in offering leadership training programs (43%) and developing new talent from within (42%). These stats dont surprise workplace consultant Melissa Swift, author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. She says that one key issue is that companies often focus leadership training on employees who are already in on a leadership track or who are near the top of the organization, overlooking promising talent at other levels. She says that leadership development efforts, including leadership training programs, should be integrated throughout the company and supported. One issue that I’ve heard repeatedly across organizations is, You did this wonderful leadership development program with us, but then you don’t have interesting on the job development opportunities for us to follow that up, she says. Companies don’t have to necessarily spend more money on [leadership development], but how do we get people the right experiences through their day-to-day work? Focus on the leaders you need Forty-one percent of respondents said their companies often fail at identifying leadership skills gaps and in being transparent about selecting and promoting leaders. Leadership consultant Lori Mazan, author of Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders, says that companies need to focus on a few things to get their leadership development programs right. Mazan advises looking at your overall goals for leaders within your organization and be sure youre developing a range of leaders with the skills your company needs. Arora agrees. Your No. 1 [key performance indicator] and what you’re going to be measured by as a manager is going to be: How are you developing your talent? he says. Transparency is also important, Mazan says. She also advises developing leaders in alignment with your company culture. She recalls a former client whose culture was very amiable and people focused. When the company hired new employees who had been at a competitor where the culture was very hard-driving, the styles often cause friction. After a month, they’d be hiring me to coach them, because that style of hard driving leadership didn’t fit in the other company that was more let me help you, she recalls. Mentorship matters Four in 10 survey respondents said that their companies are lacking mentorship programs. Thats an area that should not only be developed, but expanded, Arora says. Mentoring isnt just senior managers advising more junior workers anymore, although that still remains important. He encourages others to follow his lead and have younger mentors, as well, who can help them keep a finger on the pulse of where change is happening and what people from their cohort are thinking. You need somebody younger and you need somebody older, he says. Identifying leadership skills gaps and, in response, developing leaders across the organization with programs, transparency, and mentorship can help fill in the missing pieces that hinder leadership development.
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E-Commerce
Twelve years ago, rice breeders with Lundberg Family Farms crossed two rice plant parents in hopes of cultivating a better black pearl rice plant. After growing generations and generations of offspringearly yields produce all sorts of different traits in one harvest, and subsequent growing seasons help refine that into a consistent cropthe result is just now ready for consumers. The new black pearl rice can thrive under regenerative organic practices (a way of farming that focuses on soil health and less environmental impact) and has a higher crop yield than previous Lundberg iterations, with 25% more rice produced per acre. With that higher yield, the farm can use fewer resources like water; this is especially important when it comes to growing rice, as fields are flooded to drown out weeds. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] Its the latest cultivation to come out of the Lundberg Family Farms rice breeding nursery, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Its also a sign that the farms investment in rice breeding, and in finding varieties that are compatible with regenerative organic farming, is paying off. Varieties that it began cultivating over a decade ago are now starting to be ready for consumers; along with the black pearl rice, the brand will soon have new red jasmine and arborio varieties. What we’ve done over 50 years now is really gaining momentum, says Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms. And our commitment to accelerating this work reflects the urgency we feel around this [mission] . . . to grow the highest-quality rice using organic and regenerative farming practices, because we believe the health of our bodies and our planet depend on that. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] The importance of regenerative organic farming Lundberg Family Farms was founded in 1937 in Californias Sacramento Valley. Before moving out West, Bryces grandparents were farmers in Nebraska and experienced the Dust Bowl, an ecological disaster in which poor practices caused the soil to erode, so that it just blew away, he says. They saw how negative farming practices cause such problems to soil. They responded by changing up their farming methods, like keeping the straw in the fields after harvest instead of burning it. The common practice of burning is a way to get rid of all the old agricultural material in a field and get it ready for a new harvest, but it has serious environmental impacts, worsening air quality and degrading soil. (Just this year, a California bill went into effect banning nearly all agricultural burning as a way to limit air pollution.) Instead, the Lundbergs let the soil reabsorb that organic matter. A lot of people said it couldn’t be done, that the soil wouldn’t take this straw in, Bryce says. And I would say, if you have healthy soil, its going to take it in. If you have soil thats alive, its going to take it in. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] That became the crux of Lundberg farming: to leave the land better than they found it. Soil health is a crucial aspect of both organic and regenerative farming; regenerative organic farming includes practices like cover crop rotation, low or no tilling, and avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Though Lundberg Family Farms had that ethos since its founding, it officially began farming organically in the 1960s, and launched its first Regenerative Organic Certified products in 2023though the Lundbergs didnt have to change their practices to become certified. (That certification program was created by the Rodale Institute, which recently received funding from Patagonias nonprofit Holdfast Collective). Lundberg Family Farms focuses on rice (though it also sells quinoa, and products like rice cakes and syrup), setting a goal of having its organic rice certified as regenerative organic by 2027. Already more than 99% meets that goal. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] Rice without herbicides Still, the farm continues to innovate with its nursery to cultivate rice that can withstand the changing climate and contribute less environmental harm. Instead of using herbicides, the farm floods its fields with water to drown weeds, then dries them for 30 days to kill aquatic weeds. It’s this twofold approach that is unique, because most conventional rice farms continuously flood their fields. But this method also poses some challenges: It necessitates using rice varieties that can grow fast in water to outcompete the weeds, but that can also withstand the dry, hot phase, plus have a high enough yield to meet consumer demand. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] This twofold approach has multiple benefits. Flooded fields become a habitat for waterbirds and fish, while the dry period conserves water and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a continuous flood. Suzanne Sengelmann, Lundbergs chief growth officer, says its farms are home to more than 200 species. We flood the fields in the winter for the Pacific Flyway, and billions of birds come [there to] rest. It’s a symbiotic relationship, too, she adds, because the birds help fertilize the ground. If you let nature do what it’s supposed to do, you wind up with healthier soil. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, studied the Lundberg Family Farms practices and found that its method of weed control reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 49%, compared to continuously flooding rice fields. Regenerative organic advocates say implementing these practicesand transitioning away from the harms of conventional farmingis crucial for the health of our planet. [Photo: Lundberg Family Farms] Cultivating better rice Regenerative organic farming has another benefit too: Food grown with these soil-friendly practices is also healthier for humans, research says. And nutrient density is something the farms nursery pursues as well. Black rice in particular is full of antioxidants, and the companys new variety has some of the darkest bran weve seen, Bryce Lundberg says, meaning it’s especially high in antioxidants. If customers arent enticed by the environmental benefits of this rice, the company hopes the nutritional benefit will be worth paying a slight premium for. (The regenerative organic black pearl rice is $5.99 a pound). Were constantly upgrading . . . because at the end of the day, from a consumer standpoint, we all care about the planet, but its personal what youre putting in your body, Sengelmann says. In terms of the nutrient density and the lack of herbicides, that tends to be the thing that really makes consumers want to pay the extra dollar or two. Even with this new release, and more rice varieties forthcoming, Lundberg still plans to innovate to breed better rice; it invests half a million dollars into its nursery every year. In 2024, it was awarded a $3 million matching grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build out its regenerative organic products. Though those grants are now on holdand the fate of government grants at large is unclear under the Trump administration (especially ones that mention climate terms)Sengelmann says the farm is still moving forward to invest its own $3 million into that goal. Were going to keep doing it, she says, because its what weve always done.”
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E-Commerce
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