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An LLM is a lossy encyclopedia

(simonwillison.net)
509 points tosh | 1 comments | 29 Aug 25 09:40 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source

(the referenced HN thread starts at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45060519)
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thunderbong ◴[02 Sep 25 12:44 UTC] No.45102384[source]▶
What I tell my non-technical friends when they ask about AI -

The goal of an LLM is not to give you 100% accurate answers. The goal of an LLM is to continue the conversation.

replies(1): >>45102691 #
1. ijk ◴[02 Sep 25 13:13 UTC] No.45102691[source]▶
Exactly: at their core the only task they ate capable of is "complete this document."

It just turned out that document completion was far more effective than anyone anticipated.