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← Large language models are grown rather than built, and nobody really knows how the resulting working AI functions.
17 connected korrents · 15 moments on record from 29 Jun 2023 to 8 Sept 2026.
Everything filed under LLMs
LLMs
Everything filed under AGI
AGI
Everything filed under formal proof
formal proof
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Google Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Large language models are grown rather than built, and nobody really knows how the resulting working AI functions. Large language models are grown rather than built, and nobody really knows how the resulting working AI functions. Last stated today
8 Sept 2026
SA
Scott Alexander — holds since 2026-09-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A language model is no substitute for a well-specified conventional algorithm, so it cannot simply be dropped into a complex problem and trusted. — tap to centre the map on it A language model is no substitute for a well-specified conventional algorithm, so it cannot simply be dropped into a complex problem and trusted. Last stated a year ago
7 Jun 2025
GM
Gary Marcus — holds since 2025-06-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A language model is not using language at all, because language requires an intention to communicate. — tap to centre the map on it A language model is not using language at all, because language requires an intention to communicate. Last stated 2 years ago
31 Aug 2024
TC
Ted Chiang — holds since 2024-08-31 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A language model's apparent mind is mostly our own bias: it predicts text, and leverages our evolved habit of attributing intentionality to anything that acts human. — tap to centre the map on it A language model's apparent mind is mostly our own bias: it predicts text, and leverages our evolved habit of attributing intentionality to anything that acts human. Last stated 2 years ago
22 Apr 2024
SC
Sean Carroll — holds since 2024-04-22 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A large language model is the genetic system for language: it stores the dynamics of a structure that until now lived only across human brains. — tap to centre the map on it A large language model is the genetic system for language: it stores the dynamics of a structure that until now lived only across human brains. Last stated 2 years ago
13 Jun 2024
SW
Sara Walker — holds since 2024-06-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A swarm of untrusted volunteers on the internet could improve models and run circles around the frontier labs, because the earth has far more compute than they do. — tap to centre the map on it A swarm of untrusted volunteers on the internet could improve models and run circles around the frontier labs, because the earth has far more compute than they do. Last stated 6 months ago
20 Mar 2026
AK
Andrej Karpathy — holds since 2026-03-20 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AI-written code makes formal proof necessary, because human review of all that generated code becomes the bottleneck. — tap to centre the map on it AI-written code makes formal proof necessary, because human review of all that generated code becomes the bottleneck. Last stated 5 months ago
22 Apr 2026
MK
Martin Kleppmann — holds since 2026-04-22 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Almost every major figure in AI has now arrived at the critique of large language models he began making in 2019. — tap to centre the map on it Almost every major figure in AI has now arrived at the critique of large language models he began making in 2019. Last stated 11 months ago
26 Sept 2025
GM
Gary Marcus — holds since 2025-09-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AlphaGo and MuZero are far more impressive than large language models, because they play beyond the best humans while the models write middle-school essays. — tap to centre the map on it AlphaGo and MuZero are far more impressive than large language models, because they play beyond the best humans while the models write middle-school essays. Last stated 3 years ago
29 Jun 2023
GH
George Hotz — holds since 2023-06-29 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AI is making formal methods more popular without making them mainstream, moving them from about a tenth of a per cent of engineers to three tenths. — tap to centre the map on it AI is making formal methods more popular without making them mainstream, moving them from about a tenth of a per cent of engineers to three tenths. Last stated a month ago
29 Jul 2026
HW
Hillel Wayne — holds since 2026-07-29 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Engineers are sceptical of formal methods because they were burned by CASE and UML, sold as miracle solutions and imposed on them regardless of fit. — tap to centre the map on it Engineers are sceptical of formal methods because they were burned by CASE and UML, sold as miracle solutions and imposed on them regardless of fit. Last stated a month ago
29 Jul 2026
HW
Hillel Wayne — holds since 2026-07-29 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Formal methods are a niche tool; property-based testing is the one most engineers should adopt, and stopping there is a fine place to stop. — tap to centre the map on it Formal methods are a niche tool; property-based testing is the one most engineers should adopt, and stopping there is a fine place to stop. Last stated a month ago
29 Jul 2026
HW
Hillel Wayne — holds since 2026-07-29 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company's staff-engineer bar should be set against the best companies in the industry rather than against its own history, which is what makes title inflation a real cost. — tap to centre the map on it A company's staff-engineer bar should be set against the best companies in the industry rather than against its own history, which is what makes title inflation a real cost. Last stated 5 months ago
1 Apr 2026
TP
Thuan Pham — holds since 2026-04-01 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A crewed rocket cannot be made safe by making the booster reliable, so the only real way to improve safety is to carry an escape system. — tap to centre the map on it A crewed rocket cannot be made safe by making the booster reliable, so the only real way to improve safety is to carry an escape system. Last stated 3 years ago
14 Dec 2023
JB
Jeff Bezos — holds since 2023-12-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A monopolist that can no longer grow by winning new users can only grow by making its product worse for the users it already has. — tap to centre the map on it A monopolist that can no longer grow by winning new users can only grow by making its product worse for the users it already has. Last stated 3 years ago
28 Jul 2023
CD
Cory Doctorow — holds since 2023-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A country outside the AI supply chain should just buy the index — which works only in the world where AI ends up commoditised rather than concentrated. — tap to centre the map on it A country outside the AI supply chain should just buy the index — which works only in the world where AI ends up commoditised rather than concentrated. Last stated 3 months ago
4 Jun 2026
AI
Alex Imas — holds since 2026-06-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A human being is not an AGI: we lack a huge amount of knowledge and rely on continual learning instead, so continual learning is what superintelligence should mean. — tap to centre the map on it A human being is not an AGI: we lack a huge amount of knowledge and rely on continual learning instead, so continual learning is what superintelligence should mean. Last stated 9 months ago
25 Nov 2025
IS
Ilya Sutskever — holds since 2025-11-25 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A poor country should prioritise owning a piece of AI over retraining its workers, but it should not bet everything on that. — tap to centre the map on it A poor country should prioritise owning a piece of AI over retraining its workers, but it should not bet everything on that. Last stated 3 months ago
4 Jun 2026
PT
Phil Trammell — holds since 2026-06-04 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Large language models are grown rather than built, and nobody really knows how the resulting working AI functions.
Holds SA Scott AlexanderRead this korrent →
A language model is no substitute for a well-specified conventional algorithm, so it cannot simply be dropped into a complex problem and trusted.
Holds GM Gary Marcus
A language model is not using language at all, because language requires an intention to communicate.
Holds TC Ted Chiang
A language model's apparent mind is mostly our own bias: it predicts text, and leverages our evolved habit of attributing intentionality to anything that acts human.
Holds SC Sean Carroll
A large language model is the genetic system for language: it stores the dynamics of a structure that until now lived only across human brains.
Holds SW Sara Walker
A swarm of untrusted volunteers on the internet could improve models and run circles around the frontier labs, because the earth has far more compute than they do.
Holds
AI-written code makes formal proof necessary, because human review of all that generated code becomes the bottleneck.
Holds MK Martin Kleppmann
Almost every major figure in AI has now arrived at the critique of large language models he began making in 2019.
Holds GM Gary Marcus
AlphaGo and MuZero are far more impressive than large language models, because they play beyond the best humans while the models write middle-school essays.
Holds GH George Hotz
AI is making formal methods more popular without making them mainstream, moving them from about a tenth of a per cent of engineers to three tenths.
Holds HW Hillel Wayne
Engineers are sceptical of formal methods because they were burned by CASE and UML, sold as miracle solutions and imposed on them regardless of fit.
Holds HW Hillel Wayne
Formal methods are a niche tool; property-based testing is the one most engineers should adopt, and stopping there is a fine place to stop.
Holds HW Hillel Wayne
A company's staff-engineer bar should be set against the best companies in the industry rather than against its own history, which is what makes title inflation a real cost.
Holds TP Thuan Pham
A crewed rocket cannot be made safe by making the booster reliable, so the only real way to improve safety is to carry an escape system.
Holds JB Jeff Bezos
A monopolist that can no longer grow by winning new users can only grow by making its product worse for the users it already has.
Holds CD Cory Doctorow
A country outside the AI supply chain should just buy the index — which works only in the world where AI ends up commoditised rather than concentrated.
Holds AI Alex Imas
A human being is not an AGI: we lack a huge amount of knowledge and rely on continual learning instead, so continual learning is what superintelligence should mean.
Holds IS Ilya Sutskever
A poor country should prioritise owning a piece of AI over retraining its workers, but it should not bet everything on that.
Holds PT Phil Trammell