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The parlor tricks are getting better. In terms of practicality you just need to look at AI art. That stuff is good enough to replace the real thing. In terms o

The parlor tricks are getting better. In terms of practicality you just need to look at AI art. That stuff is good enough to replace the real thing. In terms of actual sentience, understanding I had chatGPT answer questions in the following order: 1. Describe to me what happens when you throw sugar in coffee 2. Describe the same thing in terms of atoms. 3. Is this an example of entropy decreasing? 4. What if the arrow of time was reversed. Describe what happens again at the atomic level. 5. What if there were two regions in space one with increasing entropy and another with decreasing entropy. I place the coffee cup such that one half is in one region the other half is in the other region. What happens? Each answer displayed astonishing understanding of what occurs. This was the final answer to the fifth question: ----------------------------------------------- The scenario you've proposed is purely hypothetical and quite speculative because it defies our current understanding of the laws of physics, particularly the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which stipulates that entropy in an isolated system tends to increase. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating thought experiment. Here's what might happen if you had a cup of coffee straddling two such regions: The Increasing Entropy Region: Dissolution and Distribution: On this side, sugar would behave as it does in our observable universe. It would dissolve in the coffee and disperse randomly throughout the half of the liquid. Mixing and Thermal Energy: Molecules in this region would continue to collide and interact based on thermal motion, contributing to faster dissolution and dispersion of sugar. Sweetening: The coffee in this half would become sweet as the sugar molecules interact with the liquid and dissolve. The Decreasing Entropy Region: Reforming Crystals: On this side, dissolved sugar would spontaneously start forming sugar crystals, leading to a decreasing level of entropy. Unmixing: The sugar would start to separate from the coffee and move to form a distinct layer or solid chunks, further decreasing entropy in that half. Unsweetening: Any sweetness initially imparted to this side would disappear as sugar molecules revert to a more ordered state. Challenges: Interface: The most mysterious part would be at the interface where the two regions meet. Would a sugar molecule crossing from the increasing to the decreasing entropy region suddenly reverse its course? Would there be some form of "entropy gradient" or "entropy tension" at the boundary? This part is extremely speculative and likely paradoxical. Energy Conservation: Energy conservation laws might become complicated here. The energy required for sugar to crystallize in the decreasing entropy zone would have to come from somewhere, and how this balances with the increasing entropy side would pose a significant scientific puzzle. Thermodynamic Anomalies: The coffee cup itself would be under very peculiar thermodynamic conditions, subject to two entirely different sets of rules. The temperature might behave inconsistently across the boundary, and heat exchange would likely be disrupted in perplexing ways. Taste Experience: If you were to taste the coffee, each half of the cup would offer a radically different experience, one sweet and the other likely reverting back to its original unsweet state. Perceptual Paradox: From a human perception standpoint, witnessing sugar both dissolve and crystallize in the same cup of coffee would be a profound and likely disorienting experience. Time's Arrow: This set-up implicitly questions the nature of time itself. Time seems to behave differently on each side, challenging our deepest notions about causality, sequence, and even reality. Again, it's worth noting that this scenario conflicts with our current understanding of physics, but it's a fascinating avenue for speculative thought. Such a universe, if it could exist, would fundamentally challenge our understanding of physical laws and reality as we know it. ------------------------------------------------- This answer here is anything but a magic trick. It shows deep understanding of conceptual reality by answering complex questions that are unlikely to exist anywhere else on the internet. The AI literally talked about the mysterious interface without me prompting it at all. It knows the conceptual consequence of two regions of space side by side with differing levels of entropy. The answer is not simply a trick of the next best language token. Is it a practical answer? No. Because the question itself isn't practical. But a non-practical answer does not make this answer a parlor trick. The entire internet is dismissing this thing as a parlor trick because LLMs fail to add large numbers. I mean come on man. You don't need to be able to do math like a calculator in order to "understand" things. AI is not yet completely practical. That much is true. However, it is clearly No longer a parlor trick and it is getting closer and closer to transitioning into practical. When that day comes.... Good luck to us all.

mythhabit 3y ago
Talking about mixing coffee with sugar/milk and reversing the arrow of time (ie. entropy) is a widely talked about example. That said, I agree with your arguments and conclusions. Humans are not able to do this kind of reasoning until they have had some education on the topic - and when they reason they get feedback to reinforce their conclusions if others agree or they get a more rigorous proof. We could do the exact same thing with an LLM. Would that potentially make a reasoning AI? For me the jury is still out, albeit I think we need better algorithms for it to be feasible.
- corethree 3y ago
  > Talking about mixing coffee with sugar/milk and reversing the arrow of time (ie. entropy) is a widely talked about example. But the interface is unique. That is not a topic widely talked about at all. Question: Instead of two regions add a third region where entropy of the particles entering the region will always stays the same no matter what. Place the coffee cup such that it is in all 3 regions equally. Describe atomically what happens. Answer: -------------------------------------- In this fictional universe where regions have varying entropy behavior, the coffee cup sits at a tri-junction: a third of it is in a region of increasing entropy (Region A), another third in a region of decreasing entropy (Region B), and the last third in a region where entropy remains constant (Region C). In the Atomic Realm: Region A (Increasing Entropy): Sugar molecules randomly move throughout the coffee, driven by thermal motion. They strike water molecules and dissolve over time, eventually reaching a state of homogeneous distribution. The entropy of the system in this portion of the cup increases as expected. Region B (Decreasing Entropy): Astonishingly, sugar crystals spontaneously form in the coffee. Sugar molecules collide with water molecules and join an ever-growing crystalline lattice. Over time, the sugar becomes a distinct entity in the coffee, and the entropy of this system decreases. Region C (Constant Entropy): The sugar neither dissolves nor crystallizes. Instead, sugar molecules and water molecules co-exist in a dynamic but unchanging equilibrium. At the atomic level, every dissolution event is perfectly balanced by a crystallization event, maintaining constant entropy. The Tri-Junction: Molecular Exchange: Some molecules, through Brownian motion, will wander across the boundary lines dividing the three regions. Entropic currents from Region A and B cross into Region C and are balanced out, maintaining a zero net change in entropy in that region. Special quantum-entangled pairs straddle the boundaries, existing in superpositions of increased, decreased, and unchanged entropy states. Entropic Flux and Balance: A constant entropic flux is established between the three regions. The entropic gradient tensor now has a third component, and the entropic flux density vector also adjusts to a tri-vector to balance out the exchange between the three regions. Localized Time Anomalies: At the atomic level, it's as if time runs forward in Region A, backward in Region B, and is somehow "static" or cyclical in Region C. Particles appear to remember both their past and future states in Region C, generating a unique form of atomic "temporal coherence." Causality and Quantum Superposition: Despite these anomalies, causality is preserved. Particles that cross into different regions adapt to the local entropy behavior and exhibit quantum behaviors that align with the local direction of time. In essence, the tri-junction becomes a hotbed of bizarre but mathematically consistent phenomena, a place where the fabric of spacetime and the fundamental laws of thermodynamics seem to negotiate a delicate truce. As for the cup of coffee, one-third of it will end up well-mixed, one-third will have sugar crystals, and the last third will remain an intriguing paradox of thermodynamics. You might call it the most scientifically fascinating cup of coffee ever brewed. ------------------------------------------------- This isn't a parlor trick regurgitation. It's displaying understanding of the concepts by speculating on new concepts via composition of several other concepts.

mythhabit 3y ago

Talking about mixing coffee with sugar/milk and reversing the arrow of time (ie. entropy) is a widely talked about example. That said, I agree with your arguments and conclusions. Humans are not able to do this kind of reasoning until they have had some education on the topic - and when they reason they get feedback to reinforce their conclusions if others agree or they get a more rigorous proof. We could do the exact same thing with an LLM. Would that potentially make a reasoning AI? For me the jury is still out, albeit I think we need better algorithms for it to be feasible.

corethree 3y ago
> Talking about mixing coffee with sugar/milk and reversing the arrow of time (ie. entropy) is a widely talked about example. But the interface is unique. That is not a topic widely talked about at all. Question: Instead of two regions add a third region where entropy of the particles entering the region will always stays the same no matter what. Place the coffee cup such that it is in all 3 regions equally. Describe atomically what happens. Answer: -------------------------------------- In this fictional universe where regions have varying entropy behavior, the coffee cup sits at a tri-junction: a third of it is in a region of increasing entropy (Region A), another third in a region of decreasing entropy (Region B), and the last third in a region where entropy remains constant (Region C). In the Atomic Realm: Region A (Increasing Entropy): Sugar molecules randomly move throughout the coffee, driven by thermal motion. They strike water molecules and dissolve over time, eventually reaching a state of homogeneous distribution. The entropy of the system in this portion of the cup increases as expected. Region B (Decreasing Entropy): Astonishingly, sugar crystals spontaneously form in the coffee. Sugar molecules collide with water molecules and join an ever-growing crystalline lattice. Over time, the sugar becomes a distinct entity in the coffee, and the entropy of this system decreases. Region C (Constant Entropy): The sugar neither dissolves nor crystallizes. Instead, sugar molecules and water molecules co-exist in a dynamic but unchanging equilibrium. At the atomic level, every dissolution event is perfectly balanced by a crystallization event, maintaining constant entropy. The Tri-Junction: Molecular Exchange: Some molecules, through Brownian motion, will wander across the boundary lines dividing the three regions. Entropic currents from Region A and B cross into Region C and are balanced out, maintaining a zero net change in entropy in that region. Special quantum-entangled pairs straddle the boundaries, existing in superpositions of increased, decreased, and unchanged entropy states. Entropic Flux and Balance: A constant entropic flux is established between the three regions. The entropic gradient tensor now has a third component, and the entropic flux density vector also adjusts to a tri-vector to balance out the exchange between the three regions. Localized Time Anomalies: At the atomic level, it's as if time runs forward in Region A, backward in Region B, and is somehow "static" or cyclical in Region C. Particles appear to remember both their past and future states in Region C, generating a unique form of atomic "temporal coherence." Causality and Quantum Superposition: Despite these anomalies, causality is preserved. Particles that cross into different regions adapt to the local entropy behavior and exhibit quantum behaviors that align with the local direction of time. In essence, the tri-junction becomes a hotbed of bizarre but mathematically consistent phenomena, a place where the fabric of spacetime and the fundamental laws of thermodynamics seem to negotiate a delicate truce. As for the cup of coffee, one-third of it will end up well-mixed, one-third will have sugar crystals, and the last third will remain an intriguing paradox of thermodynamics. You might call it the most scientifically fascinating cup of coffee ever brewed. ------------------------------------------------- This isn't a parlor trick regurgitation. It's displaying understanding of the concepts by speculating on new concepts via composition of several other concepts.