Can text to speech machines speak lies in the ancient language?

[u/Royal_Introduction41]

Since a person can speak falsehoods in the ancient language if they believe it to be true (or at least don't think it is false), can text to speech machines, which have no concept of belief, speak lies? Or will they just physically be unable to speak?

[u/Syron3th]

I think it has been made clear that you can speak lies in the ancient language, but only if you truly believe that it is true. This hypothetical machine that can speak the ancient language doesn´t ´´lie´´ on purpose, it just says what it is told to say.

The question then becomes: could the person who makes the machine tell the lies enter the text? I'm not entirely sure if you can write lies in the ancient language.

[u/Kenzlynnn → u/Syron3th]

I’d argue that you can write lies. In Eldest, they mention that writing in the ancient language is one thing, but for Eragon to have spoke his poem in the ancient language it needed to be true (or at least, he had to believe it to be). It’s part of why his poem gets celebrated, even if it doesn’t add up the works of the elves; he had to believe it was an accurate summary of his journey/feelings

[u/LordRedStone_Nr1 → u/Syron3th]

This goes back to Oromis' explanation of wordless magic. If the concept of magic/speech needs intention, if something "randomly" creating the sounds of spells doesn't cast them, then yes, such a system shouldn't be restricted by the language. 

It wouldn't even understand it as language, only produce soundwaves that vaguely sound important. 

I don't think this would be much different from a recording. And yes, you should be able to lie. 

(LLMs, anyone?)

[u/Zethras28 → u/Syron3th]

It is explicitly said by Oromis that there is nothing stopping someone writing fiction in the AL. This occurred when Eragon showed him his poem for the Blood Oath Celebration.

[u/LewisRyan → u/Syron3th]

This.

Theoretically galby could have said “I am the best person to be king” in the ancient language, but only because he actually believes it, not because it’s true

[u/GarethBaus → u/Syron3th]

If the machine is translating what you say you could input the information in a different language, and the machine could translate your lie without anyone lying in the ancient language.

[u/Head-Alternative-984]

New headcanon: TTS machines make everything true in the IC universe

[u/kreaganr93]

AI and text-to-speech programs don't actually understand what they're saying. So they can't lie, even if they can speak falsities. They can only guess at what the next expected word is, and its an honest guess based on the data they have available.

Don't trust robots to speak truths lol

[u/GreatSirZachary]

You can’t lie in the ancient language, but you can be WRONG in the ancient language. I think text to speech could say things that are not true as it is lacking a mind that could think something is true or untrue.

[u/HeroBrine0907]

I remember Islanzadi commented on the fact that Eragon could write his poem about Durza despite it being allegory, and that it meant the poem was true to Eragon on some level. I'd say that this comment implies that it isn't possible to write a falsehood in the ancient language either.

Seperately, I think that it's less that the ancient language cannot speak lies and more that the ancient language, as it is interwoven with magic itself, cannot represent something that is not real. To speak a truth from the perspective of the magician is to represent a form of reality, which is why it's possible in the ancient language.

In such a scenario, to attempt to make a machine speak lies in the ancient language will also fail, because the machine has a name in the ancient language too, not just a name, but THE name for that machine and all of its kind, and thus should be bound by this limitation and fail.

[u/LordRedStone_Nr1 → u/HeroBrine0907]

Writing falsehoods isn't the problem, speaking them is. This is from the same Ellesmera chapters.

Seperately, I think that it's less that the ancient language cannot speak lies and more that the ancient language, as it is interwoven with magic itself, cannot represent something that is not real.

If the Ancient Language was based on an objective truth, then that would have huge implications for scrying or finding out truths. Simply formulate your thoughts, i.e. "The kings army has more than 50.000 men" and if you can speak them, it's true. It would give everyone an easy way to verify anything. 

What's specifically forbidden is speaking something you know/believe to be false. Murtagh was able to tell Eragon that they were brothers (because he believed it) but it ultimately turned out false.

[u/GarethBaus → u/LordRedStone_Nr1]

It didn't turn out to be false Murtagh and Eragon are brothers, they just have different fathers.

[u/LordRedStone_Nr1 → u/GarethBaus]

Yes, but half-brothers are still different from brothers. Usually when talking about brothers, you think about the same mother and father. And that's what Murtagh thought to be true and told Eragon. 

[u/GarethBaus → u/LordRedStone_Nr1]

And half brothers are still brothers. It isn't that rare for siblings to have a different father without realizing it.

[u/LordRedStone_Nr1 → u/GarethBaus]

I'm not even arguing about the definition, but it's clear that both Murtagh and Eragon understand it as "Son of Morzan". 

Do you think that the Ancient Language would allow the phrasing of "brother" because it somehow knows that Eragon is only his half-brother, but it's technically correct?

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[u/cahoots6669]

Depends on the running generator attached to the machine institutional costs may rise due a significant barrier in addition wenching materials still need to be designated correctly

[u/Specific_Waffle]

Pretty sure Oromis says that there are no barriers to writing fiction in the ancient language. The problem is when you try to say something that you know or believe to be a lie. Machines don’t know anything so probably could do text-speech

[u/GilderienBot]

I think it all goes back to that soundwaves in the air point that Oromis mentions.

^{I'm a real person! This comment was posted by noblewolfdude48 from the Arcaena Discord Server.}