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Does AI Understand Our Language?


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Illustration shows AI language models superimposed over Scrabble tiles.

Deep neural networks might be able to produce lengthy stretches of coherent text, but they don't understand abstract and concrete concepts in the way that humans do.

Credit: TechTalks

If a computer gives you all the right answers, does it mean that it is understanding the world as you do? This is a riddle that artificial intelligence scientists have been debating for decades. And discussions of understanding, consciousness, and true intelligence are resurfacing as deep neural networks have spurred impressive advances in language-related tasks.

Many scientists believe that deep learning models are just large statistical machines that map inputs to outputs in complex and remarkable ways. Others beg to differ, arguing that large language models have a great deal to teach us about "the nature of language, understanding, intelligence, sociality, and personhood."

From TechTalks
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