The Alchemy of Generative AI: A Critical Perspective

Machine ethicist Thomas Krendl Gilbert sparked a debate when he referred to today's AI as "alchemy" rather than science, with some agreeing and others disagreeing. Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, disagreed with the characterization, arguing that deep learning belongs to engineering science. However, even Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and chief scientist of OpenAI, has referred to deep learning as "alchemy," describing it as a process of refining data into neural networks. Gilbert argues that deep learning is motivated more by metaphors than a clear understanding of intelligence, and that the field is now controlled by builders who have supercharged computational architectures, leading to empirical results that are unmoored from cognitive science. He suggests that the discussion should focus on reimagining intelligence and embracing the mystery rather than strictly framing it as a scientific problem.