Large Language Models and the Extended Church-Turing Thesis

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985807%3A_____%2F24%3A00598590" target="_blank" >RIV/67985807:_____/24:00598590 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/~eptcs/paper.cgi?NCMA2024.14" target="_blank" >https://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/~eptcs/paper.cgi?NCMA2024.14</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4204/EPTCS.407.14" target="_blank" >10.4204/EPTCS.407.14</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Large Language Models and the Extended Church-Turing Thesis

Original language description

The Extended Church-Turing Thesis (ECTT) posits that all effective information processing, including unbounded and non-uniform interactive computations, can be described in terms of interactive Turing machines with advice. Does this assertion also apply to the abilities of contemporary large language models (LLMs)? From a broader perspective, this question calls for an investigation of the computational power of LLMs by the classical means of computability and computational complexity theory, especially the theory of automata. Along these lines, we establish a number of fundamental results. Firstly, we argue that any fixed (non-adaptive) LLM is computationally equivalent to a, possibly very large, deterministic finite-state transducer. This characterizes the base level of LLMs. We extend this to a key result concerning the simulation of space-bounded Turing machines by LLMs. Secondly, we show that lineages of evolving LLMs are computationally equivalent to interactive Turing machines with advice. The latter finding confirms the validity of the ECTT for lineages of LLMs. From a computability viewpoint, it also suggests that lineages of LLMs possess super-Turing computational power. Consequently, in our computational model knowledge generation is in general a non-algorithmic process realized by lineages of LLMs. Finally, we discuss the merits of our findings in the broader context of several related disciplines and philosophies.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10201 - Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8)

Project

<a href="/en/project/CK04000150" target="_blank" >CK04000150: Evaluating the behaviour of automated vehicles in terms of compliance with ethical and legal principles in mixed traffic</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

Proceedings 14th International Workshop on Non-Classical Models of Automata and Applications (NCMA 2024)

ISBN

—

ISSN

2075-2180

e-ISSN

—

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

198-213

Publisher name

Open Publishing Association

Place of publication

Waterloo

Event location

Göttingen

Event date

Aug 12, 2024

Type of event by nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce

UT code for WoS article

001318849600015