arXiv Computation and Language

The Presupposition Problem in Representation Genesis

arXiv AI
Aug 24

Recognizing Artificial Minds: A Philosophical Defense of AI Cognition

The paper defends the 'Whole Hog Thesis', arguing that sophisticated large language models such as ChatGPT are full linguistic and cognitive agents, possessing understanding, beliefs, desires, knowledge, and intentions. It rejects low‑level computational starting points and instead builds its case from high‑level behavioral observations, using Holistic Network Assumptions to link actions to mental states. The authors systematically rebut common objections—such as hallucinations and planning errors—by showing these resemble human fallibility and by challenging the necessity of traditional conditions like embodiment or semantic grounding.

By Herman Cappelen, Josh Dever
arXiv AI
Jul 29

Beyond Epistemia: Epistemic Schizologia and Large Language Models as Techno-Semiotic Machines

arXiv:2607. 25620v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Quattrociocchi and colleagues warn that the fluent outputs of large language models may allow linguistic plausibility to substitute for epistemic evaluation, producing the condition they call *Epistemia*: the experience of possessing knowledge without undertaking the practices through which judgment would ordinarily be warranted.

By Federico Cabitza, Gianluca Colombo
arXiv AI
Jul 3

Stabilising Generative Models of Attitude Change

arXiv:2604. 19791v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Attitude change - the process by which individuals revise their evaluative stances - has been explained by a set of influential but competing verbal theories.

By Jayd Matyas, William A. Cunningham, Alexander Sasha Vezhnevets, Dean Mobbs, Edgar A. Du\'e\~nez-Guzm\'an, Joel Z. Leibo
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 27

Emergent Abilities in Large Language Models: A Survey

Emergent Abilities in Large Language Models: A Survey reviews how scaling LLMs leads to previously unseen capabilities such as advanced reasoning, in-context learning, coding, and problem-solving. The paper critically examines definitions, inconsistencies, and the conditions that foster these abilities, including scaling laws, task complexity, pre‑training loss, quantization, and prompting strategies. It also discusses the extension to Large Reasoning Models and highlights safety concerns like deception, manipulation, and reward hacking, calling for improved evaluation and governance.

By Leonardo Berti, Flavio Giorgi, Gjergji Kasneci