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Thinking fast and slow in AI: The role of metacognition (2021)

177 points · 84 comments · teleforce

  1. simianwords · · focus · HN ↗
    This has already been solved by GPT 5 Adaptive reasoning. A single model that knows when to reason or not based on a thinking parameter we provide (like xhigh). What’s the relevancy to post it today?

    edit: why is this downvoted?

    1. lelanthran · · focus · HN ↗
      > This has already been solved by GPT 5 Adaptive reasoning. A single model that knows when to reason or not based on a thinking parameter we provide (like xhigh). What’s the relevancy to post it today?

      Tell me you didn't read Daniel Khaneman's book without telling me you didn't read Daniel Khaneman's book.

      1. simianwords · · focus · HN ↗
        Asking earnestly, I don’t know what you mean by this reply. I know what system 1 and 2 is. But this has already been solved using same model.
        1. lelanthran · · focus · HN ↗
          > I know what system 1 and 2 is. But this has already been solved using same model.

          No, it hasn't. Maybe you have a different definition of System 1 and System 2. I last read the book well over a decade ago (2011, maybe? 2012?), but System 1 and System 2 are different systems. IOW, System 2 is not a more computational version of System 1.

          The argument you made implies that System 2 is just a more capable System 1, which is not what the book (nor this paper, AIUI) proposes.

          In computery terms, System 1 runs in O(1) time, System 2 runs in O(log n) (or maybe just O(n)) time.

          This means that any System 1 will run the input once through the heuristics, using the same computational power and taking the same time whether the input is 100 tokens or 1 million tokens, for quick but perhaps wrong decision (not "answer"). We don't have LLMs that do that. We have System 2 - run in O(log n) time and produce an answer.

          System 1 is completely bereft of thought.

          1. creativeSlumber · · focus · HN ↗
            is this just a fancy way of saying that sometimes humans makes quick heuristic based decisions, and sometimes they think through things thoroughly?

            I don't think there's any problem category that is strictly a quick heuristic decision or something that you will think through thoroughly always. I think it's more about how much time you have. If you don't have time you'll make a quick heuristic based decision. If you have more time you will think through it more. Imagine you're driving and suddenly like a branch falls on the road right in front of you. And you need to avoid it. Your brain will quickly use a heuristic based approach to avoid the branch. But on the other hand, if this branch was already there on the road and you saw it from far away, you will probably take a lot more time to think through and figure out which path you need to take.

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