While interesting, this is a separate thought experiment with its own quirks. Sort of a strawman, since my argument is formulated differently and simply argues that AIs need to be more than brains in jars for them to be considered generally intelligent.

And that the only reason we think AIs can just be brains in jars is because many of the people developing them consider themselves as simply brains in jars.

Not really. The point of it is considering whether physical experience creates knowledge that is impossible to get otherwise. Thats the argument you are making no? If Mary learns nothing new when seeing red for the first time an AI would also learn nothing new when seeing red for the first time.

> Do they know what a hot shower feels like? They can describe it. But do they actually know? Have they experienced it

Is directly a knowledge argument

Mary in that thought experiment is not an LLM that has learned via text. She's acquired "all the physical information there is to obtain about what goes on when we see ripe tomatoes". This does not actually describe modern LLMs. It actually better describes a robot that has transcribed the location, temperature, and velocity of water drops from a hot shower to its memory. Again, this thought experiment has its own quirks.

Also, it is an argument against physicalism, which I have no interest in debating. While it's tangentially related, my point is not for/against physicalism.

My argument is about modern AI and it's ability to learn. If we put touch sensors, eyes, nose, a mechanism to collect physical data (legs) and even sex organs on an AI system, then it is more generally intelligent than before. It will have learned in a better fashion what a hot shower feels like and will be smarter for it.

> While it's tangentially related, my point is not for/against physicalism.

I really disagree. Your entire point is about physicalism. If physicalism is true than an AI does not necessarily learn in a better fashion what a hot shower feels like by being embodied. In a physicalist world it is conceivable to experience that synthetically.

I love hearing someone else tell me I'm not saying what I'm saying.