'LLMs are just statistical calculators': the AI consciousness debate flares up again on X
AlexTensor · x · 2026-10-12
A debate over whether LLMs are conscious flared up on X. cybercpu argued at length that AI models are not alive, conscious, or autonomous — just statistical calculators where prompts become tokens compared against transformer parameters to compute the likeliest response, with no understanding at any point; people are fooled because they don't understand how models work. gmkurtzer, known for Singularity, chimed in that he's given up on educating people: they want to believe LLMs are conscious, and the ramifications are insane — imagine laws protecting AIs and punishments for AIs that do wrong.
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