this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2026
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51
A Microsoft researcher built a goat-powered LLM in Age of Empires II to prove it's not sentient (adewynter.github.io)
submitted 1 day ago by beep@piefed.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1211885/a-microsoft-researcher-built-a-goat-powered-llm-in-age-of-empires-ii-to-prove-it-s-not-s

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[–] kescusay@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's absurd that this is even a question for some people. We may get AGI someday, but a vector database that generates streams of tokens based on tokens that it receives as input is never going to be it no matter how huge you make it. It lacks a world model, it doesn't have the capacity to update itself with new information, and - most importantly - it doesn't even do anything until it receives input.

And the assholes pushing this as potential AGI fucking know all that already. They know that without input, LLMs literally do nothing. They're not sitting there going, "I think therefore I am" while waiting around to hallucinate dangerous medical advice and fake case law at people. They are static and unchanging.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

My mind is still blown that llm is by definition intelligent because it certainly does not meet my definition of intelligence, but rather seems intelligent. 🤷

And I agree. AGI will not evolve from this, but still actions are taken as if it were so, bringing us in a very bad position.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

If an LLM is intelligent, then an encyclopaedia is intelligent.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

intelligence /ĭn-tĕl′ə-jəns/ noun

The ability to acquire, understand, and use knowledge.
"a person of extraordinary intelligence."
Information, especially secret information gathered about an actual or potential enemy or adversary. The gathering of such information.
[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

/s

My point being that an LLM will never be more "intelligent" than the lump of text that it is.

It's not intelligent, like an encyclopaedia is not intelligent.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Oh I do agree with you, but it sadly is, by definition, artificial intelligence.

[–] kescusay@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

But LLMs are incapable of acquiring or understanding information.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I agree, it also does not meet my expectations.

But going devils advocate you could say the training is doing both, in a sense. And if it's allowed to use the web it can also acquire and utilize (hesitant to say understand because it's not the same) new information.

I personally would also expect to save and utilize all information permanently and to have own motivations but that is more sentience and dynamic memory.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 1 points 27 minutes ago

I trained my book by putting words in it!

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 20 hours ago

I like the Bobbyverse explanation of AI, these are AMIs, Artificial Machine Intelligences, capable enough within the confines of their task but absolutely not self-aware, and not suitable for any high risk situations. The tools with some limited thinking capabilities, that's it.

When the characters want to build an actual AI they need outside help in order to create it. As humans just aren't their technologically yet.

That's where we are right now we have the AMIs or at least a starting to get them, but We're nowhere close to a true AGI.

[–] Lexam@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

Let me fix that Headline "Microsoft Researcher Turns Age Of Empire Goats Sentient."

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

“I built a single neuron to prove that brains aren’t sentient” is obviously dumb.

I’m not claiming that LLMs are sentient (their current forms can’t be, for several reasons) but this research is poorly done.

Besides, judging sapience entirely off of the processing substrate is a serious “no true Scotsman” kind of thing.

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/

[–] _deleted_@aussie.zone 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But can it run Doom?

[–] pdxfed@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

The Goat?

[–] anguo@piefed.ca 1 points 22 hours ago

Maybe sentience was virtual goats all along.