LLMs
8 statements across 7 episodes · 0 bullish · 2 bearish · 1 people on the record · first statement Aug 17, 2023 by Benedict Evans · across every show →
Everything said about LLMs, oldest first
Aug 17, 2023 neutral
Evans: Science lacks a theoretical model for LLMs and AGI
“Whereas with AGI, we have no theoretical model for what AGI actually is, and we also actually don't have a theoretical model for how LLMs work. Other than at a very, very high, high level. So we don't actually know what will happen if we give it three X more d…”
Dec 17, 2023 neutral
Evans: AI field lacks theoretical mathematics to chart progress toward AGI
“We don't have any kind of equivalent mathematics or any kind of equivalent chart that we could draw that says, well, AI is there, and we're here, and LLMs are in this place, and this is how fast it's going, and if it grows at the current rate, it will hit huma…”
Jan 29, 2024 neutral
Evans: AI efficiency gains will likely be competed away across industries
“There's a classic economics formulation that, you know, efficiency gains tend to be competed away. So everybody, if you and all your competitors deploy this, is the end result just that you'll have roughly the same margins, roughly the same business.”
Dec 8, 2024 neutral
Evans: LLMs generate probable answers, unlocking value only where exact correctness isn't required
“These models are very good at automating certain kinds of things, but not others. They get stuff wrong, or rather what they do is they say, what would an answer to this question probably look like? That's about the best way I can come up with formulating it ri…”
Apr 5, 2025 neutral
Aug 21, 2025 neutral
Aug 21, 2025 bearish
Evans: Lack of network effects makes ChatGPT's early lead fragile
“Given that there's no network effects, or don't, or not yet any network effects in LLMs, that feels very fragile. Like, you know, if you remember, you know, I cannot, you know, remember, like, everyone used Yahoo, and then everyone switched to Google, because …”