LeCun claps back on vision bandwidth debate: retina compresses 100:1 to just 2MB/s
tak3sh8 · x · 2026-10-07
Yann LeCun pushed back point-by-point in a debate over human vision vs text bandwidth: he argues the same number of bytes takes 4 years to absorb visually vs 400,000 years via written text. The retina's 60-100 million photosensors per eye are squeezed down to 1 million optic nerve fibers through 4 layers of neurons — at least a 100:1 compression ratio — leaving the optic nerve at roughly 2MB/s, less than a compressed Netflix movie. He mocked his interlocutor for not understanding vertebrate vision or the relevant slide in his talk.
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