Nature Neuroscience: Compositionality Not Uniquely Human, LLMs Achieve It via Scale
SussilloDavid · x · 2026-08-09
A new perspective article in Nature Neuroscience by Reidar Riveland et al. explores the role of compositionality in studying the neural basis of intelligence.
Compositionality has traditionally been considered a uniquely human capacity. However, recent cross-disciplinary advances challenge this view:
- Large language models demonstrate impressive compositional abilities through scale alone.
- Neuroscience reveals that animals use compositional neural codes when applying knowledge to novel situations.
- Theory and modeling are clarifying how neural networks without explicit symbolic structures implement compositional computations.
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