[aamar]

I would ask anyone making these kinds of deflationary arguments to explain if the same argument can be applied to the best of human creative work. Humans also use the raw materials of others, whether that’s words, musical scales, genres, idioms, or anecdotes.

Where is the line between recapitulation and innovation? Is it a line that we think current LLMs are definitely not crossing, and definitely will not cross in the near future? If so, make that argument.

[beepbooptheory]

From TFA:

> To be fair, although the story is intended to be debunking, the folktale also has a positive moral that applies to AI. The collective resources of many humans can make something that no individual could, and that really is magical.

Its not deflationary, its just about reframing, reattributing what is so impressive about LLMs. We get so caught up in the tech itself, that it exists at all, understandably considering the way the discourse goes, we don't stop to appreciate how its even possible at all; that is, all of us (broadly).

So many people just cant get past Sci-Fi mentality, they make the current AI into a kind of weird but promising baby, but we can also, much more easily and nicely, consider it a beautiful reflection of human writing at large.

And whats even with all this constant pressure for it be more than that? All the arguments, philosophical gotchas, weird Skinnerism... Its like you're given a perfectly good hamburger and all you can say is "this is pretty much a steak if you squint".

[aamar]

Even with that paragraph, I still interpret the essay as deflationary. Even though the stone has some role to play (as a social trigger), it’s materially different than the carrots, onions, etc. (which provide actual nutrition and flavor). We can draw clear distinctions. The question is whether this difference-in-kind is real in the case of AIs.

I’d respond the same way to your hamburger vs. steak analogy. Sure, sometimes the LLM gives us a fine burger and not a steak, and it’s best for us to have the right attitude in that case.

But if LLM’s can produce “steaks” (that is, whatever talented humans do) in the imminent future, that has _enormous practical impact_.

[_1tem]

The line is the invention of actual, new, knowledge. LLMs have so far failed to do that. LLMs have not made any significant new discovery in any field. See Dwarkesh's Question: https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/02/dw...

If AI was actually intelligent, it should've cured cancer by now, based on the amount of data that it was fed.

[sdwr]

> Good artists copy, great artists steal