Ben
@unholysmoke.everfeltlost.co.uk
Born. Grew up. Took some time off.
Yep, I read it too. Just not sure para 2 follows from para 1.
How is it any different from, 'well these early mammals can decide whether to stay here or look for better grazing, but how does that scale to general intelligence?'
We make sweeping generalisations at our own peril.
How is it any different from, 'well these early mammals can decide whether to stay here or look for better grazing, but how does that scale to general intelligence?'
We make sweeping generalisations at our own peril.
November 25, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Yep, I read it too. Just not sure para 2 follows from para 1.
How is it any different from, 'well these early mammals can decide whether to stay here or look for better grazing, but how does that scale to general intelligence?'
We make sweeping generalisations at our own peril.
How is it any different from, 'well these early mammals can decide whether to stay here or look for better grazing, but how does that scale to general intelligence?'
We make sweeping generalisations at our own peril.
I agreed with that reasoning pre-2022, by the way! It's ridiculous that if we build a big enough data centre and feed the internet to it, it would start talking and thinking. Absolutely unthinkable. But then we did, and it did, and redefining our terms doesn't do us any favours.
November 25, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I agreed with that reasoning pre-2022, by the way! It's ridiculous that if we build a big enough data centre and feed the internet to it, it would start talking and thinking. Absolutely unthinkable. But then we did, and it did, and redefining our terms doesn't do us any favours.
Sure, I think that's the thrust. I'm just saying, the fact that hominids learnt to think first, then learnt to talk, doesn't make that the only way to do it. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but the piece here makes a big assumption and doesn't seem to back it up.
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Sure, I think that's the thrust. I'm just saying, the fact that hominids learnt to think first, then learnt to talk, doesn't make that the only way to do it. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but the piece here makes a big assumption and doesn't seem to back it up.
This isn't a convincing argument you're putting forward. Set me straight, I'll give you a fair shake and I won't call you stupid.
November 25, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This isn't a convincing argument you're putting forward. Set me straight, I'll give you a fair shake and I won't call you stupid.
It's not a war, my friend, it's a conversation. I read the piece. No real need for this.
November 25, 2025 at 3:27 PM
It's not a war, my friend, it's a conversation. I read the piece. No real need for this.
"It's just predicting tokens so it will never invent something truly *new*" ('make great creative leaps') is a good, meaty prediction - props for putting it in writing. I suspect you're wrong, FWIW, and I'd love to see you give an example. Something LLMs cannot ever do, even in principle.
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"It's just predicting tokens so it will never invent something truly *new*" ('make great creative leaps') is a good, meaty prediction - props for putting it in writing. I suspect you're wrong, FWIW, and I'd love to see you give an example. Something LLMs cannot ever do, even in principle.
Our sample size of Things That Think is tiny, and we have no real idea how it happens. Neuroscience and psychology and philosophy have a lot to say but we don't know what Thinking *is*, really. Are LLMs thinking? Dunno but 'No because they're just predicting the next word' isn't compelling.
November 25, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Our sample size of Things That Think is tiny, and we have no real idea how it happens. Neuroscience and psychology and philosophy have a lot to say but we don't know what Thinking *is*, really. Are LLMs thinking? Dunno but 'No because they're just predicting the next word' isn't compelling.
How do I know you're thinking? I don't doubt you are, but I can point you to living, breathing human beings whose brains are damaged and I'm pretty certain are not thinking. If you define 'thinking' as 'a thing a normal brain does' then fine, but that's not much use to anyone.
November 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
How do I know you're thinking? I don't doubt you are, but I can point you to living, breathing human beings whose brains are damaged and I'm pretty certain are not thinking. If you define 'thinking' as 'a thing a normal brain does' then fine, but that's not much use to anyone.
"LLMs are simply tools that emulate the communicative function of language, not the separate and distinct cognitive process of thinking and reasoning, no matter how many data centers we build."
Possibly I'm reading wrongly, but this bit seems pretty clear. Can you tell me what I'm getting wrong?
Possibly I'm reading wrongly, but this bit seems pretty clear. Can you tell me what I'm getting wrong?
November 25, 2025 at 2:59 PM
"LLMs are simply tools that emulate the communicative function of language, not the separate and distinct cognitive process of thinking and reasoning, no matter how many data centers we build."
Possibly I'm reading wrongly, but this bit seems pretty clear. Can you tell me what I'm getting wrong?
Possibly I'm reading wrongly, but this bit seems pretty clear. Can you tell me what I'm getting wrong?
1 The brain is the only thing we know of that thinks.
2 It can think without recourse to language.
3 Thus, thinking doesn't necessarily require language.
4 Given that LLMs are built solely around statistical correlations in language, they can't be thinking.
Do we see the logical misstep here?
2 It can think without recourse to language.
3 Thus, thinking doesn't necessarily require language.
4 Given that LLMs are built solely around statistical correlations in language, they can't be thinking.
Do we see the logical misstep here?
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
1 The brain is the only thing we know of that thinks.
2 It can think without recourse to language.
3 Thus, thinking doesn't necessarily require language.
4 Given that LLMs are built solely around statistical correlations in language, they can't be thinking.
Do we see the logical misstep here?
2 It can think without recourse to language.
3 Thus, thinking doesn't necessarily require language.
4 Given that LLMs are built solely around statistical correlations in language, they can't be thinking.
Do we see the logical misstep here?
"As we all know, the essence of flight is flapping. These new steel and wire 'flying machines' are based entirely on non-flappy techniques of getting off the ground. Yes, you may be able to travel from London to New York in a matter of hours - but make no mistake, you won't actually be *flying*."
November 25, 2025 at 2:38 PM
"As we all know, the essence of flight is flapping. These new steel and wire 'flying machines' are based entirely on non-flappy techniques of getting off the ground. Yes, you may be able to travel from London to New York in a matter of hours - but make no mistake, you won't actually be *flying*."
They're even giving themselves a one-man handicap in games this series and winning them comfortably anyway.
November 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
They're even giving themselves a one-man handicap in games this series and winning them comfortably anyway.
Great stuff Will.
Any news on the Wild Swan, the Thornbridge pub on Fetter Lane that's been coming soon since forever? I was in their Birmingham pub a few months ago and the chap thought it was still happening, but their socials are all quiet on it.
Any news on the Wild Swan, the Thornbridge pub on Fetter Lane that's been coming soon since forever? I was in their Birmingham pub a few months ago and the chap thought it was still happening, but their socials are all quiet on it.
November 14, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Great stuff Will.
Any news on the Wild Swan, the Thornbridge pub on Fetter Lane that's been coming soon since forever? I was in their Birmingham pub a few months ago and the chap thought it was still happening, but their socials are all quiet on it.
Any news on the Wild Swan, the Thornbridge pub on Fetter Lane that's been coming soon since forever? I was in their Birmingham pub a few months ago and the chap thought it was still happening, but their socials are all quiet on it.
Magic. Cheers Ade. Here's a Boltmaker in Herne Hill.
October 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Magic. Cheers Ade. Here's a Boltmaker in Herne Hill.
Guilty as charged.
October 11, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Guilty as charged.
Cider consumption per capita.
October 3, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Cider consumption per capita.
I am this close to subscribing to the Times just to see what this article says about the tune that's about her bloke's knob.
October 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I am this close to subscribing to the Times just to see what this article says about the tune that's about her bloke's knob.
...he wrote, in a punctuation-free skeet. 😉
September 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
...he wrote, in a punctuation-free skeet. 😉