If It Predicts, Is It Intelligent?

Brains predict. LLMs predict. But does that mean they’re doing the same thing? A short essay on functions, intelligence, and the trouble with words.

We used to think intelligence was all about reasoning.Then we said it was biological.Now we’re told it’s maybe... prediction?

That shift raises a big question:If both brains and language models predict, does that mean they’re doing the same thing?

This essay explores this idea — and tests the argument behind it. Because if prediction really is the function behind intelligence, we need to ask:

What happens when two systems predict in completely different ways?

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