For Chrome, they created a browser extension that slows down chatbot responses - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, future

# For Chrome, a browser extension has been created to slow down chat-bot responses

New York artist Sam Lavin has developed the SLOW LLM extension for Google Chrome, which intentionally delays responses from popular chat-bots.

Source: slowllm.lav.io. The idea for the project arose after the developer of the plugin saw how heavily some of his students and acquaintances rely on generative tools for basic tasks.

The open-source application works with ChatGPT and Claude. There is also a “corporate” version available via DNS servers, supporting more models. It allows slowing down chat-bot responses on a local network scale, for example in educational and corporate institutions.

SLOW LLM does not interact directly with neural networks. The solution manipulates a feature of JavaScript by rewriting the Fetch function, which returns data to the browser. When a user visits a chat-bot domain and enters a request, the modification stretches the response over a very long period.

“Many people start using AI tools to outsource their cognitive and emotional functions and forget about all the basic things they were taught. I think the more people rely on LLMs, the stronger the trend of skill loss will become,” Lavin said in an interview with 404 Media.

The artist claims that chat-bots have taken the idea of “friction” to an extreme. They suggest outsourcing any troubles or difficulties to “thinking machines of Silicon Valley” — even if overcoming these obstacles is part of what makes human creativity meaningful and valuable.

“Anything that eliminates friction when solving complex problems prevents you from learning and negates the knowledge you’ve already gained,” he believes.

Lavin noted that no one has yet reported successful deployment of SLOW LLM in work or educational networks.

“I haven’t tested the extension on unsuspecting people yet, but I’m thinking about it. Maybe they’ll just drop out of graduate school in anger,” the developer jokes.

Artist’s Creative Work

Previously, the New York artist had conducted similar digital performances. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, he released the Zoom Escaper app for “escaping” video calls, which filled the user’s audio stream with annoying sounds.

In 2018, Lavin scraped publicly available LinkedIn profiles to create a database of ICE agents. The incident caused a scandal, and already published information about government officials was removed from GitHub and Medium platforms.

Lavin’s frequent co-author under the pseudonym Tega Brain has released several browser tools like Slop Evader, which remove “junk” generative content by filtering search results after November 2022 — the time of ChatGPT’s public launch.

“I conduct small experiments in digital sabotage, trying to create tools that minimally disrupt computing systems,” Lavin described his projects.

At the same time, the artist does not consider himself a maximalist against digitalization. He admitted that he used the chat-bot Claude to write the code for SLOW LLM.

Recall that in March, ActivTrak analysts concluded: instead of easing workload, artificial intelligence is currently only speeding up and complicating work processes.