Comment by DiogenesKynikos
6 hours ago
The result of "predicting text" is that they obey orders, just like the result of "random electrochemical impulses in synapses" is that you typed your comment.
You can always reduce high-level phenomena to lower-level mechanisms. That doesn't mean that the high-level phenomenon doesn't exist. LLMs are obviously able to understand and follow instructions.
> The result of "predicting text" is that they obey orders
And yet they don't, quite a lot of the time, and in a random way that is hard to predict or even notice sometimes (their errors can be important but subtle/small).
They're simply not reliable enough to treat as independent agents, and this story is a good example of why not.
First, they do follow instructions most of the time, and the leading models get better and better at doing it month for month.
Second, whether they're perfect at following commands is besides the point. They're not just "predicting tokens," in the same way you're not just "sending electrochemical signals." LLMs think, solve problems, answer questions, write code, etc.