AI on the Ground: The Great Chatbot Debate Watch Party

"Do LLMs Really Understand?" as part of the AI on the Ground series

Chatbots based on large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, answer sophisticated questions, pass professional exams, analyze texts, generate everything from poems to computer programs, and more. But is there genuine understanding behind what LLMs can do? Do they really understand our world? Or, are they a triumph of mathematics and masses of data and calculations simulating true understanding?

Watch as CHM, in partnership with IEEE Spectrum, hosts this fundamental debate on the nature of today's AI: Do LLMs demonstrate genuine understanding, the "sparks" of true intelligence, or are they "stochastic parrots," lacking understanding and meaning?

IEEE Spectrum Senior Editor Eliza Strickland moderates this exciting debate between:

• Emily M. Bender: University of Washington computational linguist who established the term "stochastic parrot" in a major 2021 paper and co-authored the forthcoming book The AI Con
• Sébastien Bubeck: OpenAI researcher, former VP for AI and distinguished scientist at Microsoft, and lead author of the influential 2023 paper "Sparks of Artificial General Intelligence"

What to expect at our Watch Party:

• A comfortable viewing experience of this lively debate on a profound issue central to AI

• Pizza will be provided

• Post-screening discussion with your peers about the arguments presented
• Cast your vote for who you think won the debate

More information: https://computerhistory.org/events/great-chatbot-debate/