Frustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in 'Age of Empires II' to Demo the Absurdity of LLMs
A Microsoft researcher is using goats in Age of Empires II to demonstrate the limitations of anthropomorphizing large language models.
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The brief
The experiment aims to highlight the potential absurdity in current AI research practices. Coverage from outlets including Gizmodo, PC Gamer, The Decoder, 404 Media, and quasa.io emphasizes the researcher's critique of assuming human-like behavior in LLMs simply due to their training on natural language.
Future developments will hinge on whether this demonstration affects academic discourse regarding the attribution of sentience or human traits to AI systems. Official statements regarding the potential long-term academic impact on AI science remain limited.
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Quick answers
What is the primary goal of the experiment?
The experiment is intended to critique the tendency to attribute human-like characteristics to LLMs.
Which organizations are involved in the research?
Microsoft and York University produced the paper associated with this demonstration.
What is the role of goats in the project?
Goats within the game Age of Empires II are utilized to build a working neural network to illustrate the researcher's point.
Coverage (5)
- Microsoft and York University Paper Challenges How We Attribute "Humanity" to LLMs quasa.io · 23h 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 · 23h ago
- Microsoft researcher builds a working neural network out of goats in Age of Empires II to critique AI science The Decoder · 23h ago
- If AI Is Sentient Then So Is ‘Age of Empires II’ 404 Media · 23h ago
- Frustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in 'Age of Empires II' to Demo the Absurdity of LLMs Gizmodo · 23h ago
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