Comment by godelski

  > one, that the facility of LLMs is fantastic and useful

I didn't see where he was disagreeing with this.

I'm assuming this was the part you were saying he doesn't hold, because it is pretty clear he holds the second thought.

  | is it likely that programs will be devised that surpass human capabilities? We have to be careful about the word “capabilities,” for reasons to which I’ll return. But if we take the term to refer to human performance, then the answer is: definitely yes.

I have a difficult time reading this as saying that LLMs aren't fantastic and useful.

  | We can make a rough distinction between pure engineering and science. There is no sharp boundary, but it’s a useful first approximation. Pure engineering seeks to produce a product that may be of some use. Science seeks understanding.

This seems to be the core of his conversation. That he's talking about the side of science, not engineering.