Published
Aug 20, 2024
Updated
Aug 20, 2024

Putting People First: How AI Can Answer Vague Questions

Putting People in LLMs' Shoes: Generating Better Answers via Question Rewriter
By
Junhao Chen|Bowen Wang|Zhouqiang jiang|Yuta Nakashima

Summary

Have you ever asked a question and received a less-than-helpful answer? It turns out, even with the vast knowledge of Large Language Models (LLMs), vague questions can stump AI. Researchers have developed a clever solution called a "question rewriter" that acts like an interpreter between humans and LLMs. This rewriter takes unclear questions and polishes them into a format that AI can understand better, leading to more accurate answers. The magic of this approach lies in how the rewriter learns to improve questions. Instead of relying on costly human feedback, it uses automatic scoring methods that already exist within many question-answering datasets. By comparing the quality of answers to original and rewritten questions, the rewriter learns to create clearer, more concise questions without any human intervention. Tests across various LLMs and datasets show this method consistently improves answer quality. Surprisingly, analysis suggests the rewriter learns to create questions in a professional, unbiased, and concise style—exactly what we might intuitively consider a "good" question. This technology has significant implications for the future of question answering. Imagine search engines that understand the intent behind your vague queries or customer service bots that offer helpful solutions even when you're not sure how to phrase the problem. While this research focuses on specific domains, future work may explore how to create a universal question rewriter that works across various topics, opening exciting possibilities for more effective communication between humans and AI.
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Question & Answers

How does the question rewriter's automatic learning process work without human feedback?
The question rewriter learns through a self-improving system based on existing question-answering datasets. It works by: 1) Taking an original vague question and generating multiple rewritten versions, 2) Using automated scoring methods already present in QA datasets to evaluate the quality of answers received for each version, 3) Learning which rewriting patterns lead to better answer quality scores. For example, if a user asks 'What about AI safety?', the system might learn to rewrite it to 'What are the main concerns and challenges regarding AI safety systems?' based on which reformulations consistently generate higher-quality answers across the dataset.
How can AI-powered question understanding improve customer service?
AI-powered question understanding can transform customer service by automatically interpreting and clarifying vague customer inquiries. This technology helps businesses provide faster, more accurate responses even when customers struggle to articulate their problems clearly. Benefits include reduced wait times, more consistent service quality, and improved customer satisfaction. For instance, a customer might type 'my device isn't working' and the AI would understand to ask specific follow-up questions about the device type, symptoms, and recent changes, leading to more precise solutions without human agent intervention.
What makes AI question answering systems more user-friendly?
AI question answering systems become more user-friendly through features that bridge the gap between natural human communication and machine understanding. Key elements include the ability to interpret casual language, handle incomplete information, and maintain context throughout conversations. The systems can adapt to different user communication styles, whether formal or informal, and don't require users to learn specific commands or formats. This flexibility means users can ask questions in their own words, much like talking to a human assistant, making the technology accessible to people regardless of their technical expertise.

PromptLayer Features

  1. Testing & Evaluation
  2. The paper's automatic evaluation of question-answer quality aligns with PromptLayer's testing capabilities for measuring prompt effectiveness
Implementation Details
1. Create test sets of original/rewritten question pairs 2. Configure A/B tests to compare response quality 3. Implement automated scoring metrics 4. Track performance across model versions
Key Benefits
• Automated quality assessment at scale • Consistent evaluation metrics • Data-driven optimization
Potential Improvements
• Add domain-specific evaluation metrics • Implement human feedback collection • Create benchmark datasets for different use cases
Business Value
Efficiency Gains
Reduces manual QA review time by 70%+ through automated testing
Cost Savings
Cuts evaluation costs by eliminating need for human annotators
Quality Improvement
Enables systematic improvement of prompt quality through quantitative metrics
  1. Workflow Management
  2. The question rewriting pipeline mirrors PromptLayer's multi-step orchestration capabilities for complex prompt workflows
Implementation Details
1. Define rewriting step templates 2. Configure input/output handling 3. Set up version tracking 4. Implement quality checks
Key Benefits
• Reproducible question processing • Versioned workflow steps • Modular pipeline design
Potential Improvements
• Add dynamic routing based on question type • Implement parallel processing paths • Create specialized domain templates
Business Value
Efficiency Gains
Streamlines question processing with automated workflows
Cost Savings
Reduces development time through reusable templates
Quality Improvement
Ensures consistent question handling across different scenarios

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