Veteran programmer with 40 years of experience: AI isn't a program, it's discovered math we don't understand
kristoph · x · 2026-09-25
A programmer with over 40 years of experience explains why AI is fundamentally different from software: while a small program is involved, the part that "thinks" is a vast mathematical model predicting outputs from inputs. He argues we didn't create modern AI the way we build programs or bridges — we discovered mathematics that produced good results and have been refining it since. Crucially, unlike most engineering, we don't truly understand how massive training inputs lead to specific outputs, which he says is why many people are afraid.
More from AGI Musings
- Veteran researcher vents: 'dangerous' x-risk label ignores years of controlled-AI research agendas — trevposts · 2026-09-25
- Nat Friedman's personal creed: "Slow is fake," a week is 2% of the year, and the EMH is a lie — alexeyguzey · 2026-09-25
- Safety researcher pushes back: controlling non-godlike AI has been Redwood's core agenda since 2023 — trevposts · 2026-09-25
- P(Doom) conflates two questions: is AI dangerous, and can humans respond? — binarybits · 2026-09-25
- Why P(Doom) is a flawed construct: it depends on society's reaction function — binarybits · 2026-09-25
- Prophetic sects before societal shifts: what AI institution-builders can learn from history — lawhsw · 2026-09-25