To model human linguistic prediction, make LLMs less superhuman (opens in new tab)

When we read, we make predictions about upcoming words; these predictions influence our reading behavior. The success of large language models (LLMs), which, like humans, make predictions about upcoming words, has motivated their use as models of human linguistic prediction. Surprisingly, in the last few years, as LLMs’ ability to predict the next word has improved, their ability to explain reading behavior has declined. We argue this is because current LLMs can predict upcoming words much be...