Can AI reason without words? A small model puts the idea to the test

A small AI model is being tested on whether it can reason without generating word-by-word intermediate steps, challenging the chain-of-thought reasoning technique used by many of today's AI systems. The report comes from Science News, whose full archives and digital editions are available to subscribers.

AI may be able to reason without putting every step into words. Many of today’s AI systems tackle difficult problems by generating intermediate steps in lengthy, chains of words before arriving at an answer— a technique often called chain-of-thought reasoning. Log in Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.