The algorithm assigns weights to nodes in a neural network. These weights are derived by statistical association of tokens in the training data after they have been cleaned.

That is so enormously far from how we think humans learn (you don’t teach a kid to understand theory of mind by plopping them in front of the Gutenberg project and saying good luck, and yet they learn to explain theory of mind problems all the same) that it is just comically farcial to assume something similar is happening underneath.

It is very interesting that llms are able to appear to be conversational but claiming they have some sort of mind with an understanding of maths is as ridiculous as suggesting a chess bot understands the Pauli exclusion principle because it never moves two pieces into the same physical space.

I’m a curmudgeonly physics nerd, it’s very strange being on the side of a debate going “No now come on, that’s way too reductive”

You’re arguing against a position I didn’t put forward. Also

Seems like a pointless distinction, you were told it so you believe it to be the case? Why can’t we say the LLM outputs what it believes is the correct answer? You’re both just making some statement based on your prior experiences which may or may not be true

This is what excessive reduction does to a mfer. That is just such a hysterically absurd take.

Yep. You’re smarter than everyone who found it insightful.

By grabthar’s hammer, what a put down!

Yeah this is the exact criticism. They recombine language pieces without really doing language. The end result looks like language, but it lacks any of the important characteristics of language such as meaning and intention.

If I say “Two plus two is four” I am communicating my belief about mathematics.

If an llm emits “two plus two is four” it is outputting a stochastically selected series of tokens linked by probabilities derived from training data. If the statement is true or false then that is accidental.

Hence, stochastic parrot.

Keep in mind our categories are pretty arbitrary. We have stuff like semimetals and so on. All bonding has multiple characteristics outside of extremes, e.g. covalent bonds with dipole character.

Metals are just our name for the broad category of bonding between extremes at conditions we usually find on earth where we live. They are soft squashy bonds that are kinda slutty because they’re just sort of average.

Actually within the metals we see some pretty different characteristics, especially with D orbital chemistry stuff but because of inertia we just keep these things all in the same category of metals because shiny squishy was a lot more obvious than fucky wucky complexing when people named them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vAamzBI8mI&t=4

Oh no comrade Andrenikous, it has only just begun.

>:3

Micrographs are awesome. My favourite is the tapeworm with false colour that looks like a methhead https://i.redd.it/97oiw37koff21.jpg

Also, unfortunately, it reminds me of this heinous thing: https://twitter.com/suzuya_96/status/1501884233656467459?lang=en

Ok, that makes some sense. You seem stuck on this more than I would expect which is very confusing but makes sense in the context of asd

I don’t mean this is a disparaging way, I’m just trying to understand your unusual behaviour. Are you autistic?

what on earth is wrong with you?

that you were an enigma wrapped in a mystery? why on earth does this matter to you?

If it’s so important to you that you’re no stranger to mess then send me a picture with your hands in someone’s abdominal cavity and be done with it. You don’t like body fluids on your face, woooh join the parade, you’re so special. There are billions of you, what does it matter?

Either way you’re not out there with your elbows in grease trap filth haha

Oh psh, everybodies house is full of spiders and other friendlies. Also you can treat phobias unless they’re extremely severe.

So yes, an arachnaphobe probably hasn’t worked with spiders :p

I’m significantly afraid of heights, like woozy standing on a chair fear, hasn’t stopped me doing maintenance on a roof or riding all the horrifying giant drop rides/cross canyon flying foxes etc I come across. Fear doesn’t stop you doing stuff, you just have to do it scared.

Sorry, i’m drunk there was a point in there though, that exposure makes it possible to do stuff like work on the roof. And if I was way a lineswoman I would probably no more be afraid of heights by necessity. Humans adapt, only terminally online weirdos think you’re stuck in the condition you’re currently in.

You’re taking this very seriously antiseptic boy :p

huh it’s not an argument it’s just my opinion. Dogs mouths are super dirty, saliva is a bit gross. If you are used to just getting dirty and clean all the time another way of getting dirty doesn’t seem that bothersome.

Like most people are grossed out by being vomited on, after you care for babies for a while or work security at a messy bar or whatever you stop being that grossed out because it happens hundreds of times. Work at a vet or on an animal farm and piss and shit getting on you stops being so nasty.

It’s not a moral judgement, just that if a pet licking you seems really gross you probably aren’t used to getting stuff on your face that you just go wipe/wash off.

Also yeah, pain seems worse because we’re not used to experiencing it, although pain is a bit special because our brains make us forget what it feels like so it’s always novel. You know how some people can just get hurt a lot and deal with it? they’re not superhuman, they just live lives with much more pain in them.