Does GPT-4 Really Understand What We’re Saying?

One question for intelligence and stupidity researcher David Krakauer. Plus: the top science news—be a better lie detector; empathy in zebrafish; the planets align; and more. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( March 28, 2023   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—plus this week’s One Question with [David Krakauer](, a scientist who explores the evolution of intelligence and stupidity [READ NAUTILUS](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   [The Use-the-Best Heuristic Facilitates Deception Detection]( The findings undercut the idea that people can’t learn to spot liars. [Nature Human Behavior→](   [Evolutionarily Conserved Role of Oxytocin in Social Fear Contagion in Zebrafish]( This form of empathy is apparently so ancient, it involves a brain region zebrafish and mammals both have. [Science→](   [Deepfakes: Vehicles for Radicalization, Not Persuasion]( They sow chaos and confusion but rarely change minds. [Current Directions in Psychological Science→](   [Genomic Analyses of Hair from Ludwig van Beethoven]( The results unlock the secrets of the great composer’s family and health. [Current Biology→](   [The Mysterious Balancing Stones on Frozen Lakes]( How do rocks perch themselves on “impossibly thin” pedestals of ice? [Physics Today→](   [Why Recurrent Depression Should Be Reconceptualized and Redefined]( The idea is misleading and slows progress on reducing the leading cause of physical and mental disability worldwide. [Current Directions in Psychological Science→](   [The Hunt for Black Holes Older Than the Universe Itself]( Could a black hole really survive the collapse of a universe and live inside a new one? [New Scientist→](   [The Real Reason We Can’t Outpace Light Speed]( Does the gravitational field around a fast-moving object increase as it speeds up? [Big Think→](   [When, Where, and How to View Five Planets Lining Up in the Sky]( Some binoculars, an unobstructed view of the horizon, and clear skies will certainly help. [NPR→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [Enhance Your News Reading Ecosystem]( Every day [Refind]( picks 5 links from around the web that make you smarter, tailored to your interests. Loved by 100k+ curious minds. [Sign up for free]( to get smarter every day. [Subscribe Today](   [ONE QUESTION]( [Does GPT-4 Really Understand What We’re Saying?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [David Krakauer](, president of the Santa Fe Institute for complexity science where he explores the evolution of intelligence and stupidity on Earth.   “Yes and no,” is the answer to that. In my new [paper]( with computer scientist Melanie Mitchell, we surveyed AI researchers on the idea that large pretrained language models, like GPT-4, can understand language. When they say these models understand us, or that they don’t, it’s not clear that we’re agreeing on our concept of understanding. When [Claude Shannon]( was inventing information theory, he made it very clear that the part of information he was interested in was communication, not meaning: You can have two messages that are equally informative, with one having loads of meaning and the other none. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [TECHNOLOGY]( [Deep Learning Is Hitting a Wall]( What would it take for artificial intelligence to make real progress? BY GARY MARCUS [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [The Case for Professors of Stupidity]( The greatest problem facing the world today is a rule system. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →](   More in Technology [Even Machine Brains Need Sleep]( Without some downtime, artificial neural networks become catastrophically forgetful. BY KATHERINE HARMON COURAGE [Continue reading →]( [How AI Can Prompt Your Inner Artist]( A cognitive scientist on the pleasures of generative image programs. BY JIM DAVIES [Continue reading →](   P.S. Recently, economists Linda Ghent and Alan Grant went on NPR’s “Planet Money.” The authors of the 2021 book [Seinfeld and Economics](: Lessons on Everything from the Show about Nothing [made the case]( that Seinfeld really is, at its core, a show about the varieties of human decision making. Larry David (Seinfeld’s longtime head writer) would continue to mine that kind of comedic material later in Curb Your Enthusiasm. I wrote about [the evolutionary game theory]( behind his Curb episode “The Anonymous Donor.”   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [Plants Are Perceptive]( Issue 48 of [Nautilus]( features “[What Plants Are Saying About Us](.” Amanda Gefter discovers that her houseplants are endowed with feelings and memories, shifting her thoughts on human perception. Also: We are all programmed to die; the void in the universe is alive; and more. [Get Nautilus in Print](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from nautil.us. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe](.