The first sentence of this Wikipedia article literally immediately disqualifies LLMs, lmao

“Sentience is the ability to experience feelings”

Every sentence that follows continues to disqualify LLMs

If you continue down to the section on “digital sentience” you will find other sentences that directly contradict your assertions, such as ‘Indeed, leading AI textbooks do not mention “sentience” at all.‘

It’s basically 100% agreed on that there are not currently any sentient computers, and there never has been. Do some people think that we might have them one day? Yes a very small number of the experts do, but they don’t know how to get there, and they aren’t close to being there now.

The people calling their AI self aware and claiming that it took actions without their instructions (which is verifiably false) are lying to you for money.

Think of it as a public service announcement.

Judging by this comment thread, it’s a badly needed one.

No, my argument is that your conceptualization of sentience is incomplete.

If you believe an LLM could fulfill either of those definitions then you either don’t understand how an LLM works, or you don’t understand the definitions of those words.

Words have meanings dog

You can’t just say a label applies to something, despite the meaning of that label.

I work in tech

You’re underestimating most people

If all you got from that explanation was “no u” then you need to work on your reading comprehension.

I agree that this conversation doesn’t seem to be bearing any fruit tho

Well, that may very well be the most depressing comment I’ve ever read.

You either need to work on your listening skills or find some new less-vacant people to interact with, because what you’re saying is insane

Perhaps I should seek a sponsorship with all of the mentions this thread has necessitated. Unfortunately I’m not currently on the payroll (or formerly for that matter, lol).

Fearmongering about the idea of a neural network gaining consciousness is basically like doing free advertising for AI companies lmao

You are ascribing a power to them that they do not possess

For the record, I think neural networks have a lot of useful applications; for example, radiological image recognition. The term “AI” basically has no meaning though, and is most commonly used to describe LLMs, a technology that has very few (if any) good real world applications.

LLMs cannot fulfill these definitions.

Try to explain to me how an LLM could fit the definitions of “conscious” or “sentient”.

If you understood how computers work and also had a firm grasp on the English language, you would understand that there is no way to use either of those words to accurately describe a computer program.

I’m sorry that you have trouble grasping so many basic concepts.

Ironic of you to reference Dunning-Kruger.

All animals are conscious as far as I’m aware, though the complexity of their thoughts may vary. They all act of their own volition, computers do not and cannot act of their own volition.

You do not have to fully understand every aspect of consciousness in order to recognize that inanimate objects do not have it. “Will” is a component of consciousness, this is commonly understood. Computers are tools, they have no will. Computers calculate, they do not think, these are different operations.

I am not oversimplifying things, you are under-thinking things that are already simple (likely due to cognitive offloading).

Well it sounds like we agree then.

I would think you would need actual biological structures to achieve sentience. That’s a lot different than what these people are calling AI tho.

Edit: Also, if it is built out of natural biological pieces, at what point does it cease to be “artificial”?

Even in your highly optimistic scenario, the AI wouldn’t even come close to being comparable to actual sentience.

I can’t believe how many pro-AI arguments essentially boil down to “I do not understand words”.

We have a very solid and explicit definition of what conscious means:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscious#medicalDictionary

The best neuroscientists in the world do not even fully understand the complicated intricacies of the workings of the human mind. We do understand 100% exactly how computers work. There is no comparison.

Do you not interact with any other actual humans?

Would you also like a link to the English dictionary?

Because it’s nowhere near correct

My man, allow me to introduce you to the dictionary:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentient

Did you ask your AI what the definition of “sentience” was or something? Because something/someone is hallucinating.

I can assert that because I have what is known as RI (real intelligence).

Sentience is defined extremely well, and explicitly; check out both definitions:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentience

Go ahead and click on through to the root word and check out every definition of that word.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentient

You could make such assertions yourself if you were to stop cognitive offloading and exercise your brain.