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That sets a vastly higher bar than what we're talking about here. You're comparing modern AI to one of the greatest geniuses in human history. Obviously AI is not there yet.

That being said, I think this is a great question. Did Einstein and Newton use a qualitatively different process of thought when they made their discoveries? Or were they just exceedingly good at what most scientists do? I honestly don't know. But if LLMs reach super-human abilities in math and science but don't make qualitative leaps of insight, then that could suggest that the answer is 'yes.'

Or even gravity to explain an apple falling from a tree- when almost all of the knowledge until then realistically suggested nothing about gravity?

AI does not have a physical body to make experiments in the real world and build and use equipment

Maybe not, but more than 99.999999% of humans would also not come up with that.