Re:Terrence Tao's ChatGPT Conversation about the Jacobian Co...
by nozzlegear on Wednesday July 22, 2026 @11:38PM
(#49016625)
> that's some Harry Potter kind of "writes itself" book.
I'm sure people thought calculators and, indeed, computers themselves were very Harry Potter as well when they first came out. But in the fullness of time the magic and mystique has drained away, and we're left with the understanding that they're just tools.
> at this point, for me, any comment about LLMs that begins with "it's just ..." is hard to take seriously.
Similarly I have a hard time taking seriously the people who make breathless claims of intelligence where there's only a text calculator with weights applied. It's like watching the devout cry "miracle!" at every strangely shaped piece of toast.
Terrence is impressed, but he's not a believer.
that's some Harry Potter kind of "writes itself" book.
at this point, for me, any comment about LLMs that begins with "it's just ..." is hard to take seriously.
Terrence is impressed. Good enough for me.