Chat-based LLMs replicate the mechanisms of a psychic's con
Chat-based Large Language Models replicate the mechanisms of a psychic's con
Baldur Bjarnason argues that the perceived intelligence of chat-based LLMs is an illusion, not a new form of mind. He compares it to cold reading: psychics use validation statements, Forer effects, and subjective validation loops to make generic guesses feel personal. Similarly, LLMs produce statistically plausible responses that users misinterpret as genuine understanding. Bjarnason warns that many proposed AI use cases are borderline fraudulent pseudoscience.
The intelligence illusion seems to be based on the same mechanism as that of a psychic’s con, often called cold reading. It looks like an accidental automation of the same basic tactic.