Most importantly, I'm happy to learn and/or be shown to be mistaken.
Based on my study (not at the Ph.D. level but still quite intensive), I am confident the comment above is both wrong and poorly framed. Why? Seeing phrases "incapable of thought" and "stochastic parrots" are red flags to me. In my experience, people that study LLM systems are wary of using such brash phrases. They tend to move the conservation away from understanding towards combativeness and/or confusion.
Being this direct might sound brusque and/or unpersuasive. My top concern at this point, not knowing you, is that you might not prioritize learning and careful discussion. If you want to continue discussing, here is what I suggest:
First, are you familiar with the double-crux technique? If not, the CFAR page is a good start.
Second, please share three papers (or high-quality writing from experts): one that supports your claim, one that opposes it, and one that attempts to synthesize.
Based on my study (not at the Ph.D. level but still quite intensive), I am confident the comment above is both wrong and poorly framed. Why? Seeing phrases "incapable of thought" and "stochastic parrots" are red flags to me. In my experience, people that study LLM systems are wary of using such brash phrases. They tend to move the conservation away from understanding towards combativeness and/or confusion.
Being this direct might sound brusque and/or unpersuasive. My top concern at this point, not knowing you, is that you might not prioritize learning and careful discussion. If you want to continue discussing, here is what I suggest:
First, are you familiar with the double-crux technique? If not, the CFAR page is a good start.
Second, please share three papers (or high-quality writing from experts): one that supports your claim, one that opposes it, and one that attempts to synthesize.
Third, perhaps we can find a better forum.