Our brains are like supercomputers, constantly processing information to help us understand the world around us. This understanding is shaped by both the new data we receive and our past experiences. Similarly, AI Models like ChatGPT take vast amounts of text and use them to generate coherent and contextually relevant responses. However, while our brains can grasp and be aware of the physical reality of the world, ChatGPT lacks any such perception. In fact, it remains oblivious to the existence of a tangible reality we inhabit. While the two processes might sound similar, the way they operate is quite different. Let's dive into two analogies to understand this better.
The Human Mind: The Artist
Imagine your mind is an artist with a canvas. Every day, you're bombarded with random splashes of paint from all directions (this represents the sensory data we receive). Now, instead of getting overwhelmed, you use your past experiences and memories, which are like stencils or templates, to turn these random splashes into a beautiful paintings. This painting represents your perception of the world. So, even though the paint splashes are chaotic, your experience and 'templates' help you make sense of them and create a coherent mental image.
LLMs like ChatGPT: The Jigsaw Puzzle Solver
Now, think of ChatGPT as someone solving a jigsaw puzzle. Their primary goal is to find the next piece that fits. The pieces are words and phrases from countless texts they've seen. These texts contain not just words, but the reasoning and context in which they were used. As ChatGPT fits the pieces together, the logic and reasoning embedded in those pieces start to manifest. These words, when combined, appear to make sense as they form smooth flowing sentences. It gives the impression of coherent thought and understanding. Yet, it's essential to note that this coherence is merely a byproduct of the vast information ChatGPT has seen. Intriguingly, despite this semblance of understanding, ChatGPT lacks any awareness or comprehension of the physical world that we inhabit, unlike humans.
In both cases, there's a process of making sense from chaos. However, while the human brain draws from its past experiences to 'paint' a comprehensive understanding that results in our awareness, LLMs like ChatGPT use the vast information from texts to 'solve' for coherent responses, even without any true comprehension of the concepts they discuss.