Hacker News Reader

Articles like this should approach topics on consciousness with more humility than is displayed here.

We don’t even agree on a good definition of what’s going on inside our own heads yet, what gives you the confidence to say that what goes on inside an LLM can’t be conscious?

View on HN

Obviously, the LLMs lack the divine spark, so they can't be conscious. Same as clones, IVF babies, or half of all the twins.

Jest aside, I do agree. If you list out every prominent theory of consciousness, you'd find that about a quarter rules out LLMs, a quarter tentatively rules LLMs in, and what remains is "uncertain about LLMs". And, of course, we don't know which theory of consciousness is correct - or if any of them is.

With LLMs, materialists have got a silicone idol to worship. They believe that they know everything about this idol because they've created it, and at the same time they believe that LLMs have a secret sauce that makes it intelligent. Looking at how they are trying to extract intelligence from it reminds me of alchemists of the past who tried to extract gold from lead.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com