Researchers clash over Sakana AI's bioplausible learning claim: MNIST results don't count

aran_nayebi · x · 2026-09-16

A dispute has erupted over Sakana AI's bioplausible learning research. Researcher Aran Nayebi pointed out the results are only on MNIST — a benchmark where even trivial methods like Feedback Alignment work — and noted his team demonstrated bioplausible learning that scales with backprop on ImageNet six years ago.

Reposting the exchange, dyamins quipped "ImageNet or it didn't happen," guessing the true state of the art in bioplausible learning surpassed this years ago.

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