4 ms·

We got to the moon, we built the atomic bomb on the literal backs of calculators. These were mostly women who sat at desks all day long and did math. https://

We got to the moon, we built the atomic bomb on the literal backs of calculators. These were mostly women who sat at desks all day long and did math. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/history-human-computers-180972202/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/history-human-... It was a pretty good job, there wasn't a lot of force, and money is a decent incentive to stay on task.

HPsquared 3y ago
There would have been a system of checking the results somehow. Perhaps the same could be done with LLMs.
- zer00eyz 3y ago
  More agents is all you need: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39955725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39955725 This works because each trip through the LLM with the same question uses a different random seed (temperature). You're averaging randomness through a statistical model. You're going to end up with a repeatable result. You're not going to end up with an accurate result.
  - vidarh 3y ago
    You don't typically get accurate results with most humans either without processes for cross checking/tests.
cjk2 3y ago
Just a nit pick, we got to the moon also on the back of slide rules and 3 significant figures of pencil scribblings by thousands of shirted engineers. The computer and calculator side bit is somewhat over-explained because it was sexier. Also, my mother was a calculator once. In the UK. For petrochemical company. It was really boring so she went to smoke weed and fix radios instead as it was the 60s by then and that was cooler.
roenxi 3y ago
Sure; but an LLM can do all those things too. We're talking about a very restricted problem domain with clear deterministic inputs and outputs, neural nets outperform humans under those conditions. Any computer-based method can. So if we take as a starting point that LLMs can't simulate Turing machines and that is important, the tasks you are referring to won't involve simulating Turing machines either. I personally suspect LLMs can simulate Turing machines. Turing machines are pretty basic. Particularly after noting that humans use external tools like pen & paper, so it'd be fair to train the LLM to use some external memory-aiding tool. Then it becomes an academically trivial problem for even a basic neural net.
deleted 3y ago
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vidarh 3y ago
It should have read force or incentives. The point is there were incentives, be it threat of force or a salary. LLMs are not given any either way.

HPsquared 3y ago

There would have been a system of checking the results somehow. Perhaps the same could be done with LLMs.

zer00eyz 3y ago
More agents is all you need: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39955725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39955725 This works because each trip through the LLM with the same question uses a different random seed (temperature). You're averaging randomness through a statistical model. You're going to end up with a repeatable result. You're not going to end up with an accurate result.
- vidarh 3y ago
  You don't typically get accurate results with most humans either without processes for cross checking/tests.

cjk2 3y ago

Just a nit pick, we got to the moon also on the back of slide rules and 3 significant figures of pencil scribblings by thousands of shirted engineers. The computer and calculator side bit is somewhat over-explained because it was sexier. Also, my mother was a calculator once. In the UK. For petrochemical company. It was really boring so she went to smoke weed and fix radios instead as it was the 60s by then and that was cooler.

roenxi 3y ago

Sure; but an LLM can do all those things too. We're talking about a very restricted problem domain with clear deterministic inputs and outputs, neural nets outperform humans under those conditions. Any computer-based method can. So if we take as a starting point that LLMs can't simulate Turing machines and that is important, the tasks you are referring to won't involve simulating Turing machines either. I personally suspect LLMs can simulate Turing machines. Turing machines are pretty basic. Particularly after noting that humans use external tools like pen & paper, so it'd be fair to train the LLM to use some external memory-aiding tool. Then it becomes an academically trivial problem for even a basic neural net.

deleted 3y ago

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vidarh 3y ago

It should have read force or incentives. The point is there were incentives, be it threat of force or a salary. LLMs are not given any either way.