Think-what East this? What does it mean for human beings to think? Are we about to be overtaken by artificial Many people think so, but not Teppo Felin, from what I understand. In this episodeEconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomes Felin back to discuss these issues, based on a working paper Felin wrote with Matthias Holweg. Felin explains that the human capacity to ignore Existing data and evidence are not only our Achilles heel, but also one of our superpowers. So what do we TO DO when we think???
After listening to the podcast, we’d love to hear from you. Share your answers to the questions below in the comments, or use them to start your own offline conversation. Either way, we’re here to help.
1- What’s wrong with thinking of the brain as a computer? This ubiquitous metaphor has been around since the 1950s. It’s true, Felin says, that neural networks make connections, but the brain isn’t quite a computer yet: something else is going on. How should we understand the brain instead, according to Felin?
2- Large language models can accommodate so much content that Felin claims it would take humans hundreds of years to pre-train their brains to assimilate the same number of words. He describes LLMs as employing a stochastic process that is very effective at “predicting the next step.” If LLMs contain so much content, why can’t they think like humans? How important is looking back in the human thinking process?
3- Felin argues that using AI to make rational decisions is a fool’s game, as is the idea that AI can be rid of its biases. Why are biases a feature, not a bug, of human cognition? What is the relationship between beliefs and theories and thinking, and how does this differentiate human thinking from AI?
4- Felin uses the charming example of the Wright brothers, insisting that no venture capitalist would have given them money. Why, according to Felin, would AI have hampered The Wright Brothers’ Progress? Why, Conversely, Were They Able to Succeed?
5- Roberts quotes Yann LeCun: “Prediction is the essence of intelligence.” What is the relationship between prediction and intelligence, according to Felin? What does Felin mean when he says: “…it’s something that computers can’t do. They take existing data as a given, whereas we humans find and create, through experience, information that helps us understand and comprehend.” new data“To what extent is there a meaningful distinction between digital intelligence and biological intelligence, and how would you describe it?
