By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 06/10/2026In other words, the current, "theory-free AI" finds all the instances in which A seems to cause B, but has no internal representation of *why* A causes B. This is true even when we know why A causes B! 1305
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 06/10/2026Purely theory-free chess programs don't operate with any conception of a board or pieces or rules - rather, they make guesses ("inferences" in AI-speak) about which chess move will be optimal. 1212
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 06/10/2026These are based on vast, multi-dimensional arrays constructed by analyzing the statistical relationships between every chess move in their training data. This yields a surprisingly good game of chess...until it doesn't. 1271
