What we call AI today is nothing more than a statistical machine: a digital parrot regurgitating patterns mined from oceans of human data
Prove to me that this isn’t exactly how the human mind – i.e., “real intelligence” – works.
The challenge with asserting how “real” the intelligence-mimicking behavior of LLMs is, is not to convince us that it “just” is the result of cold deterministic statistical algoritms running on silicon. This we know, because we created them that way.
The real challenge is to convince ourselves that the wetware electrochemical neural unit embedded in our skulls, which evolved through a fairly straightforward process of natural selection to improve our odds at surviving, isn’t relying on statistical models whose inner principles of working are, essentially, the same.
All these claims that human creativity is so outstanding that it “obviously” will never be recreated by deterministic statistical models that “only” interpolates into new contexts knowledge picked up from observation of human knowledge: I just don’t see it.
What human invention, art, idé, was so truly, undeniably, completely new that it cannot have sprung out of something coming before it? Even the bloody theory of general relativity–held as one of the pinnacles of human intelligence–has clear connections to what came before. If you read Einstein’s works he is actually very good at explaining how he worked it out in increments from models and ideas - “what happens with a meter stick in space”, etc.: i.e., he was very good at using the tools we have to systematically bring our understanding from one domain into another.
To me, the argument in the linked article reads a bit as “LLM AI cannot be ‘intelligence’ because when I introspect I don’t feel like a statistical machine”. This seems about as sophisticated as the “I ain’t no monkey!” counter- argument against evolution.
All this is NOT to say that we know that LLM AI = human intelligence. It is a genuinely fascinating scientific question. I just don’t think we have anything to gain from the “I ain’t no statistical machine” line of argument.
I don’t get this. Why are so many countries willing to play Trump’s game? It seems a horrible long-term strategy to allow one country to hold global trade hostage this way. Shouldn’t we negotiate between ourselves, i.e., between the affected countries?
The idea should be: for us, exports of X, Y, and Z are taking a hit, and for you A, B, and C. So, let’s lower our tariffs in these respective areas to soften the blow to the affected industries. That way, we would partly make up for, say, lost exports to the US for cars, at the cost of additional competition on the domestic market for, say, soy beans; and vise-versa; evening out the effects as best we can.
With such agreements in place, we can return to Trump from a stronger position and say: we are willing to negotiate, but not under threat. We will do nothing until US tariffs are back to the levels before this started. But, at that point, we will be happy to discuss the issues you appear to see with trade inbalances and tariffs, so that we can find a mutual beneficial agreement going forward.
Something like this would send a message that would do far more good towards trade stability for the future.