Gary Marcus amplifies pointed quip on LLM consciousness: compute the next token by hand
GaryMarcus · x · 2026-10-02
Gary Marcus boosted a standout line from a debate sparked by his article with Nathan J. Robinson: you could compute an LLM's next-token prediction yourself with paper, pencil and a calculator — so at what point does the calculation become conscious?
The line is a pointed jab in the ongoing LLM consciousness debate, highlighting a paradox: identical computation dismissed as mindless inside a machine clearly doesn't generate consciousness on paper either, suggesting the link between computation and awareness is far murkier than either side of the argument claims.
Related event: Debate Flares Over Whether LLMs Are Conscious(4 posts)→
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