AI Is Not Logical, It's Probable

Sci-Fi vs. Reality

For decades, science fiction painted a picture of AI as purely logical beings. Think of C-3PO, the protocol droid meticulously adhering to rules, or Data from Star Trek, striving to understand humanity through pure logic and data processing. We were led to believe AI would be predictable, rational, and perhaps a bit rigid in its adherence to algorithms.

But the reality of modern AI, particularly the large language models (LLMs) powering many of today’s applications, is quite different. AI regularly surprises us with its creativity, humor, and even emotional depth, and yet AI often behaves in ways that are completely irrational or just straight-up wrong. How can this be?

It turns out AI isn’t primarily logical. It’s probable.

How AI Works

These sophisticated systems don’t “reason” in a human sense. Instead, they work by predicting the most statistically probable next word in a sequence based on the vast amounts of text data they were trained on. They identify patterns and relationships, generating responses that look logical or creative because they are statistically likely completions of a thought or query.

It’s a fascinating shift from our sci-fi dreams. If you want a clear, visual explanation of how this “probability machine” works, check out 3Blue1Brown’s excellent explainer: Large Language Models explained briefly. It breaks down the core concepts simply and effectively.

The age of probable AI is here, and understanding how it truly functions is key to navigating our increasingly automated world.