[dnautics]

> An LLM is not a human brain,

true

> and does not try to emulate one

citation please.

something like the universal approximation theory comes to mind, transformer architecture clearly has the shape of a universal algorithm approximator

[calepayson]

I think you're right in that it has the shape but I think it's missing a pretty key piece. We still haven't been able to solve catastrophic forgetting, yet everything with a brain has. Basically LLMs seem good at approximating intelligence on a moment-to-moment basis, but feel quite far away when you chat with one over time.

Like at some level, yes, transformers are trying to emulate a human brain but the second you ask folks if they do a good job of it, I think most rationale people would say no.

[cootsnuck]

> something like the universal approximation theory comes to mind, transformer architecture clearly has the shape of a universal algorithm approximator

That says nothing about emulating a human brain.

[dnautics]

is human cognition not an algorithm? is it just woo? or vibes?

[kristov]

But what is the shape of the algorithm of the human brain? It has a complex physical structure. We know the folds on the surface are important, but why is that shape specifically important? The brain is made up of two hemispheres - why, what does that do? There are different "types" of brain inside the human skull. There are physical areas that perform specific tasks. There are different types of neurons. Then there chemicals that interact with the brain, changing how it function depending on things happening to the body. All that stuff and more is the "algorithm" of the human brain. It's not the same algorithm as an LLM.