alt Hacker NewsThe difference is you’d remember some of the context from reading the thing where an LLM is starting from scratch every single time it comes up.
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Macuyiko • last Thursday at 5:48 PM
All of the above is true, but between solving quicker, and admitting we gave context:
I do agree with you that an LLM should not always start from scratch.
In a way it is like an animal which we have given the ultimate human instinct.
What has nature given us? Homo Erectus is 2 million years ago.
A weird world we live in.
What is context.
There are opportunity costs to consider along with relevance. Suppose you are staying at my place. Are you going to read the manual for my espresso machine in total or are you going to ask me to show you how to use it or make one for you?
In any case, LLMs are not magical forgetfulness machines.
You can use a calculator to avoid learning arithmetic but using a calculator doesn’t necessitate failing to learn arithmetic.
You can ask a question of a professor or fellow student, but failing to read the textbook to answer that question doesn’t necessitate failing to develop a mental model or incorporate the answer into an existing one.
You can ask an LLM a question and blindly use its answer but using an LLM doesn’t necessitate failing to learn.