[tim333]

The article is kind of silly like someone in the 1800s saying flying machines are a conspiracy theory. I mean obviously not - they were a proposed technology that hasn't been built yet but would in a while. I don't really get the point. I guess it's a discussion point of a sort. Maybe it's like those Weekly World News 'Gay Aliens Found' type headlines that get views for imaginative silliness?

[xanderlewis]

But flying machines are well defined, or at least it's easily possible to come up with a good definition. 'A machine capable of transporting a person from a to b without touching the ground at any point in between', or whatever.

For AGI, that's very far from being true.

[tim333]

Well there are paper darts and weather balloons but most people were interested in a powered machine to transport people. Likewise with AGI but I'm guessing most people are thinking of something that can do what people do?

[nitwit005]

People did genuinely struggle to define "useful flying machine", which is why you see the description of the Wright Brother's flight come with so much detail: "first controlled, sustained flight of a powered airplane".

[xanderlewis]

> or at least it's easily possible to come up with a good definition.

[nitwit005]

That's my point. It wasn't easy. There are still disputes over flight achievements because people don't agree what should count.

[croon]

Is it possible you're conflating LLM skepticism with overall AI (which is a label applied to something every decade or so) skepticism?

I don't believe LLMs with DLC will reach AGI, but I assume it will be happen at some point in the future.