I already spend so much pleasant time considering how everything, absolutely everything, is connected. I had pushed AI aside. I've now decided that the children I am raising will benefit from an intuitive use of LLMs. Now I am enjoying polyhistor-ical information in a polyh-ysterical way. Possibly malevolent! It isn't as if I could make anyone think me more odd than their already raised eyebrow signals. Hopefully, you've already become acquainted with @losttools , here in these fine stacks. Early education meeting AI. Weaponized ADHD is a battle skill.
great piece! i have a couple of thoughts with a diff pov.
current llms are not only unreliable narrators (hallucinations et al) - they mostly regurgitate versions of what they’ve seen occur in statistically significant ways.
and we don’t yet know how to build models that can connect multiple sources of knowledge in a previously unseen manner.
given that - i would argue that the ai systems of today are only good at helping us automate workflows in a non-brittle fashion vs providing novel insight across domains.
Agree on all counts there. A friend of mine, Alejandro, wrote a great summary on that topic this week too. I think, if you know those limitations, you can use it to force a reshift. I'd never expect it to do it on it's own but if I know I need to do it, I can specifically ask.
I like it. I might augment my own personal definition of "polymath" to also include focusing on the juncture of two different fields of knowledge, although that's maybe more of an effect than a definition... but it's so fundamental to what I want from polymathic thinking that I feel like it belongs in my own personal definition. It's the goal.
I think if a person has the inherent curiosity of a polymath, then AI can help provide (or supplement) the requisite knowledge. Maybe the access to knowledge and a well prompted ai companion can help encourage Polymathic curiosity over time, but maybe not.
good point. I'd add that if you know you don't have that curosity or systems thinking you can use AI (or even better, those polymaths around you) to help fill in the blind spots.
I already spend so much pleasant time considering how everything, absolutely everything, is connected. I had pushed AI aside. I've now decided that the children I am raising will benefit from an intuitive use of LLMs. Now I am enjoying polyhistor-ical information in a polyh-ysterical way. Possibly malevolent! It isn't as if I could make anyone think me more odd than their already raised eyebrow signals. Hopefully, you've already become acquainted with @losttools , here in these fine stacks. Early education meeting AI. Weaponized ADHD is a battle skill.
It's a useful capability for sure.
great piece! i have a couple of thoughts with a diff pov.
current llms are not only unreliable narrators (hallucinations et al) - they mostly regurgitate versions of what they’ve seen occur in statistically significant ways.
and we don’t yet know how to build models that can connect multiple sources of knowledge in a previously unseen manner.
given that - i would argue that the ai systems of today are only good at helping us automate workflows in a non-brittle fashion vs providing novel insight across domains.
Agree on all counts there. A friend of mine, Alejandro, wrote a great summary on that topic this week too. I think, if you know those limitations, you can use it to force a reshift. I'd never expect it to do it on it's own but if I know I need to do it, I can specifically ask.
https://blog.apiad.net/p/reliable-ai-is-harder-than-you-think
It's nice to see a practical application of AI that isn't Hype or Panic. Well done!
Glad to hear it!
I like it. I might augment my own personal definition of "polymath" to also include focusing on the juncture of two different fields of knowledge, although that's maybe more of an effect than a definition... but it's so fundamental to what I want from polymathic thinking that I feel like it belongs in my own personal definition. It's the goal.
I totally agree. I always tell people that innovation resides in the seams and confluences between domains and disciplines.
I think if a person has the inherent curiosity of a polymath, then AI can help provide (or supplement) the requisite knowledge. Maybe the access to knowledge and a well prompted ai companion can help encourage Polymathic curiosity over time, but maybe not.
good point. I'd add that if you know you don't have that curosity or systems thinking you can use AI (or even better, those polymaths around you) to help fill in the blind spots.