←back to thread

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)
Show context
qwertox ◴[02 Sep 25 13:06 UTC] No.45102613[source]▶
It could be non-lossy if it would actually reach out to an encyclopedia.

If one takes it as a language engine which translates human language into API calls, and API call results to human language, it would appear to be a non-lossy encyclopedia.

It is the basic building block which enables computers to handle natural language.

The simulated intelligence is proof of its capability as a language model, but it is often so dumb that it is doesn't feel like a "knowledge model".

replies(2): >>45102821 #>>45107975 #
1. dragonwriter ◴[02 Sep 25 19:36 UTC] No.45107975[source]▶
> It could be non-lossy if it would actually reach out to an encyclopedia.

As the saying goes, “if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a a wagon.”

Sure, if you take anything (including an LLM) and add a non-lossy encyclopedia to it, you have a non-lossy encyclopedia plus something else.