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by 2muchcoffeeman 5 days ago
I think you need to ask what you actually want to do with the AI.

If you want to be a researcher and come out with the next breakthrough, get ready to go back to school and learn some math.

If you just need to learn how to use it well and build things with it, then you probably just need to have a high level understanding.

Same as programming. I’d bet most programmers have no idea about the physics that makes computers work.

2 comments

> I think you need to ask what you actually want to do with the AI.

What about improving the efficiency of token consumption, etc., basically opportunities for improving cost/performance?

I keep thinking there has to be a better way to share context with models than dumping entire gigantic skill files of raw text or otherwise into them - I'm betting there's a bunch of low-hanging fruit there.

There may be some low hanging fruit, but they're not available to people without deep understanding of how the math works. Well paid people already spend a lot of time thinking about this.
i am not sure acctually of the math is acctually that complicated/important. the math around neural networks is calculus/chain rule etc and for model comparison/validation one needs statistics. the required math for e.g. understand transformers is quite accessible.
You missed the third and most important reason to learn: fun.

Which sums up HN these days.