Comment by jumploops

3 hours ago

I’ve been “testing” LLM willingness to explore novel ideas/hypotheses for a few random topics[0].

The earlier LLMs were interesting, in that their sycophantic nature eagerly agreed, often lacking criticality.

After reducing said sycophancy, I’ve found that certain LLMs are much more unwilling (especially the reasoning models) to move past the “known” science[1].

I’m curious to see how/if we can strike the right balance with an LLM focused on scientific exploration.

[0]Sediment lubrication due to organic material in specific subduction zones, potential algorithmic basis for colony collapse disorder, potential to evolve anthropomorphic kiwis, etc.

[1]Caveat, it’s very easy for me to tell when an LLM is “off-the-rails” on a topic I know a lot about, much less so, and much more dangerous, for these “tests” where I’m certainly no expert.