Comment by cocoto
2 days ago
Not true, most tools are deterministic. For instance my programming language LSP just works 100% of the time with no failure. It doesn’t hallucinate any types, methods or variables.
2 days ago
Not true, most tools are deterministic. For instance my programming language LSP just works 100% of the time with no failure. It doesn’t hallucinate any types, methods or variables.
Your LSP also can’t do complex reasoning across the purpose of your whole codebase.
Neither LLM can reason about anything.
Reasoning is an human trait.
Whatever you say lol.
3 replies →
> Neither LLM can reason about anything.
> Reasoning is an human trait.
Note: this is not directed at the commenter or any person in particular. It is directed at various patterns I've noticed.
I often notice claims like the following:
- human intelligence is the "truest" form of intelligence;
- machines can't reason (without very clearly stating what you mean by reasoning);
- [such and such] can only be done by a human (without clearly stating that you mean at the present time with present technology that you know of);
Such claims are in my view, rather unhelpful framings – or worse, tropes or thought-terminated clichés. We would be wise to ask ourselves how such things persist.
How do these ideas lodge in our brains? There are various shaky premises (including cognitive missteps) that lead to them. So I want to make some general comments that often lead to the above kind of thinking.
It is more important than ever for people to grow their understanding and appreciation. I suggest considering the following.
1. ... recognize that one probably can't offer a definition of {reasoning, intelligence, &c} that is widely agreed upon. Probably the best you can hope for is to clarify the sense of which you mean. There are often fairly clear 'camps' that can easily be referenced.
2. Recognition that implicitly hiding a definition in your claims -- or worse, forcing a definition on people -- doesn't do much good.
3. Awareness that one's language may be often interpreted in various ways by reasonable people.
4. Internalize dictionaries are catalogs of various usage that evolve over time. Dictionaries are not intended to be commandments of correctness, though some still think dictionary-as-bludgeon is somehow appropriate.
3. Acknowledge confusing terminology in AI/LLM in particular. For example, reasonable people can recognize that "reasoning" in this context is a fraught term.
5. Recognition that humanity is only getting started when it comes to making sense of how "intelligence" decomposes, how our brains work, the many nuanced differences between machine intelligence and human intelligence.
6. Recognize one's participation in a social context. Strive to not provide fuel for the fires of misunderstanding. If you use a fraught term, be extra careful to say what you mean.
7. Hopefully obvious: sweeping generalizations and blanket black-or-white statements are unlikely to be true unless you are talking about formal systems like logic and mathematics. Just don't do it. Don't let your thinking fall into that trap. And don't spew it -- that insults the intelligence of one's audience.
8. Generally speaking, people would be wise† to think about upping their epistemic game. If one says things that are obviously inaccurate, you are wasting your intelligence refined over millions of years by evolution and culture. To do so is self-destructive, for it makes oneself less valuable relative to LLMs who (although they blunder) are often more reliable than people who speak carelessly.
† Because it benefits the person directly and it helps culture, civilization, progress, &c