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Re:The dawn of post-theory science? by AstralStorm on Friday January 14, 2022 @03:20AM (#29931828)
However, it just modeled a known algorithm for solving theorems mechanically. 3-SAT predates ML, and it was trained using it. Essentially parroting an algorithm is not science.

Call me again when AI develops a new theorem from scratch, in a concise manner

Re:The dawn of post-theory science? by programmarchy on Friday January 14, 2022 @11:13AM (#29936252)
We have a tendency to reify science as something sacred or uniquely human, but the scientific method is essentially an algorithm. Like the article said, AI does not need to develop theorems in a post-theoretical mode of science. AI only needs a systematic way to make discoveries that are in the self interest of the system in which it's embedded.

Humans may need theory to perform science, but only because we're slow and have bad memories is it necessary for us to rely on faint signals like intuition, eureka moments, and pulling all-nighters in the lab. Machines don't need narratives and metaphors to represent their knowledge of the world, nor do they need reason or explanations of how and why. They just need to function.