AI researcher: extra brain compute exists to make general-purpose agents, not specialists
chris_j_paxton · x · 2026-09-13
- AI researcher Chris Paxton invokes Heinlein's "specialization is for insects" to argue that the brain's extra compute exists mainly to enable being a general-purpose agent.
- Excelling at a narrow task like Super Mario Bros takes little processing power; versatility — combining unrelated skills and tackling novel problems — is where the real overhead lies.
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