Frustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in 'Age of Empires II' to Demo the Absurdity of LLMs
A Microsoft researcher is utilizing Age of Empires II goats to demonstrate the limitations of comparing large language models to human behavior.
- Intelligence Anchor: Frustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in 'Age of Empires II' to Demo the Absurdity of LLMs
- Core Takeaway: A Microsoft researcher is utilizing Age of Empires II goats to demonstrate the limitations of comparing large language models to human behavior.
- Signal Velocity: 3 score across 5 independent media sources and 5 indexed articles.
- Forecast Model: Story predicted to decelerate within 24h.
📍 Aftermath
A Microsoft researcher demonstrated a goat-powered neural network in *Age of Empires II* to critique the assumption that LLMs exhibit human-like behavior. The experiment was framed as a satirical challenge to how AI "humanity" is attributed, appearing alongside a related academic paper questioning current AI science.
Coverage of the stunt did not expand beyond its initial day of reporting.
Epilogue added 89d ago, after coverage quieted.
Answered
What is the primary goal of the Age of Empires II project?
The project aims to demonstrate the absurdity of assuming that large language models behave like humans simply because they are trained on natural language.
Who is involved in the associated research paper?
The paper is a collaboration between a Microsoft researcher and York University.
How does the project use the game's assets?
The researcher utilized the game's goat units to construct a functional neural network.
Where it stands
A researcher has constructed a functional neural network within the game Age of Empires II using the game's goat units. The project serves as a critique of current trends in AI development, specifically challenging the tendency to attribute human-like qualities to large language models based solely on their training data.
Coverage from outlets including PC Gamer, The Decoder, 404 Media, and Gizmodo emphasizes the researcher's goal of illustrating the absurdity of anthropomorphizing artificial intelligence. Future developments remain dependent on further peer review and discussion following the paper's release.
Coverage does not yet specify how the broader AI research community will respond to the goat-based simulation as a methodological critique.
Synthesized by headlinez.news from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: unsupported claims removed (83% supported) Updated 89d ago.
Sources (5)
- Microsoft and York University Paper Challenges How We Attribute "Humanity" to LLMs quasa.io · 91d ago
- Microsoft researcher builds goat-powered neural network in Age of Empires 2 to show why we should 'stop assuming that LLMs behave like humans just because they were trained with natural language' PC Gamer · 91d ago
- Microsoft researcher builds a working neural network out of goats in Age of Empires II to critique AI science The Decoder · 91d ago
- If AI Is Sentient Then So Is ‘Age of Empires II’ 404 Media · 91d ago
- Frustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in 'Age of Empires II' to Demo the Absurdity of LLMs Gizmodo · 91d ago
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