LLMs are Adaptation-Executers, not Understanding-Maximizers

LessWrong reports a recent post argues that large language models function more like biological adaptation mechanisms than genuine understanding machines. The author likens LLMs to DNA's short programs, executing tiny functions in parallel, while human minds build structured, fragile architectures that evolve through market‑like pruning, where a slightly delayed signal is discarded like a twenty percent worse offering that finds no buyers. He notes that this makes incremental improvements easy for LLMs but suggests they lack the self‑reinforcing drive toward deeper comprehension, and invites readers to discuss the claim.

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