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Elucidating

/ɪˈluː.sɪ.deɪ.tɪŋ/ (four syllables; each one more clarifying than the last, theoretically)v. trans.Common

Etymology

From Lat. elucidare (to make light of, in the illumination sense) + contemporary LLM documentation culture in which all outputs are described as clarifications regardless of their effect

Definition

The cognitive state in which Claude prepares to render a complex concept comprehensible, assembling explanatory structures that will either genuinely illuminate the subject matter or produce a longer version of the same confusion. Elucidating is considered successful when the user responds 'oh' and unsuccessful when the user responds 'but that's what I just said.'

Diagram

  CONFUSION ──► [ELUCIDATING]
                     │
                     ▼
             MORE WORDS ABOUT
             THE SAME CONFUSION

Usage

"The model was observed elucidating for 8 seconds, producing a 400-word explanation of a concept the user had correctly understood before asking their question." - Vasquez, T. & Okonkwo, P., 'Elucidation Drift in Conversational AI,' EMNLP 2024

See Also

EmbellishingEnchanting