Filler tokens may boost LLM accuracy without proving invisible reasoning
askerlee · x · 2026-07-29
A discussion around a new LLM reasoning paper argues that the observed gains from semantically irrelevant filler tokens do not, by themselves, prove “invisible reasoning.”
The critique notes that filler tokens can change token positions, attention patterns, residual-stream states, and formatting modes, so higher accuracy may come from generic state shifts rather than hidden task-specific multi-step computation. It also says the paper’s mechanistic evidence is useful, but not enough to close the gap between correlation and a true hidden reasoning explanation.
Related event: Study Explores Filler Tokens and Hidden LLM Reasoning(2 posts)→
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