Tom Dietterich clarifies: 'new knowledge' in AI debate means environment-interaction knowledge

tdietterich · x · 2026-09-09

ML veteran Thomas Dietterich clarifies his position in the debate with Jeff Clune: there are many kinds of knowledge. Some can be discovered through pure reason (chess, Go, mathematics), but most require interacting with an external environment. When he and others talked about AI producing "new knowledge," they meant the latter kind.

Related event: Dietterich: Most Knowledge Requires Environmental Interaction(2 posts)→

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