Pragmatic Competence

Pragmatic competence, the ability to understand and use language effectively in context, is a growing area of research focusing on how well large language models (LLMs) and other AI systems grasp nuanced aspects of communication beyond literal meaning. Current research emphasizes evaluating these models across various pragmatic phenomena, such as implicature, presupposition, and reference, using both automated and human-evaluated benchmarks. This work is crucial for improving human-computer interaction and developing AI systems that can truly understand and respond appropriately to complex communicative situations, ultimately impacting fields like clinical diagnosis and assistive technologies.