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Bill Andrews on Muck Rack

Bill Andrews

Verified
New York
As seen in: Quanta Magazine, TIME, Discover Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, Today at Elon, RealClear Science, Genesee Valley Penny Saver
Senior editor @QuantaMagazine who loves math, science and stories, formerly @Discovermag and @Astronomymag. All views my own.
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Articles

Can AI Models Show Us How People Learn? Impossible Languages Point a Way.

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By Ben Brubaker, Bill Andrews Verified, Noam Chomsky
| Quanta Magazine Verified
Introduction Learning a language can’t be that hard — every baby in the world manages to do it in a few years. Figuring out how the process works is another story. Linguists have devised elaborate theories to explain it, but recent advances in machine learning have added a new wrinkle. When computer scientists began building the language models that power modern chatbots like ChatGPT, they set aside decades of research in linguistics, and their gamble seemed to pay off.
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Why Computer Scientists Consult Oracles

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By Ben Brubaker, Bill Andrews Verified, Susan D'Agostino
| Quanta Magazine Verified
Introduction Pose a question to a Magic 8 Ball, and it’ll answer yes, no or something annoyingly indecisive. We think of it as a kid’s toy, but theoretical computer scientists employ a similar tool. They often imagine they can consult hypothetical devices called oracles that can instantly, and correctly, answer specific questions. These fanciful thought experiments have inspired new algorithms and helped researchers map the landscape of computation.
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Bill Andrews | Quanta Magazine

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By Bill Andrews Verified
| Quanta Magazine Verified
Researchers got a better look at the thoughts of chatbots, amateurs learned exactly how complicated simple systems can be, and quantum computers passed an essential milestone. Artificial intelligence learned how to generate text and art better than ever before, while computer scientists developed algorithms that solved long-standing problems.
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