Intro
I’m an AI engineer—I work with the tech that powers systems like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Gemini and other LLMs. To me, artificial intelligence (AI) is all about numbers and math working together. But I often hear, “It’s like the computer is thinking!” or “Why not add emotions?” I get why—AI seems so human-like. Here’s the real deal: computers don’t think or feel. It’s all math, not magic or a living mind. Let me explain it simply, with examples you’ll recognize, and show why emotions in machines are impossible.
I’m an AI engineer—I work with the tech that powers systems like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Gemini and other LLMs. To me, artificial intelligence (AI) is all about numbers and math working together. But I often hear, “It’s like the computer is thinking!” or “Why not add emotions?” I get why—AI seems so human-like. Here’s the real deal: computers don’t think or feel. It’s all math, not magic or a living mind. Let me explain it simply, with examples you’ll recognize, and show why emotions in machines are impossible.
AI Doesn’t Think—It Tunes Numbers to Fit Patterns
Say you ask an AI, “What’s a fun snack for movie night?” It answers, “Popcorn—everyone loves it!” You might imagine it dreaming up snacks and picking one. Nope. Here’s what happens:
Say you ask an AI, “What’s a fun snack for movie night?” It answers, “Popcorn—everyone loves it!” You might imagine it dreaming up snacks and picking one. Nope. Here’s what happens:
- Your words—“fun,” “snack,” “movie night”—turn into numbers, like tags (think “fun” = 1, “snack” = 2).
- Those numbers enter a huge math equation with “weights”—guides that link ideas, like “ ‘movie’ and ‘popcorn’ go together.”
- The AI adjusts these weights to fit patterns it’s seen before, then calculates a score for every option—“popcorn” hits 10, “carrots” gets 3—and picks the best fit.
- It adds “Everyone loves it!” because it’s tuned to sound cheerful.
It’s not thinking—it’s math fine-tuning numbers to match what works.
How Does It Get So Good?
So how does it know “popcorn” fits? Training—like tuning a guitar. Imagine you’re adjusting strings to play a song perfectly. If a string’s too loose, the note’s off; too tight, it’s sharp. You tweak until it’s just right.
AI training is similar:
So how does it know “popcorn” fits? Training—like tuning a guitar. Imagine you’re adjusting strings to play a song perfectly. If a string’s too loose, the note’s off; too tight, it’s sharp. You tweak until it’s just right.
AI training is similar:
- We feed it millions of examples (like snack chats online).
- It starts with messy weights, so answers are off—maybe “socks” for a snack (oops!).
- We measure how wrong it is (call this “loss”), then tweak the weights to make the loss smaller—like tightening that guitar string bit by bit.
- After millions of tweaks, the weights lock in patterns: “movie” + “popcorn” = perfect fit.
It’s not guessing randomly—it’s math hunting for the smallest error.
A Simple Example: Dots and Lines
Even basic AI does this. Picture two dots: (1, 2) and (2, 4). Draw a line through them. Where’s the next dot if x is 3?
Even basic AI does this. Picture two dots: (1, 2) and (2, 4). Draw a line through them. Where’s the next dot if x is 3?
- The pattern: x up by 1, y up by 2.
- From (2, 4), add 1 to x (3) and 2 to y (6). Result: (3, 6).
It’s a simple fit—a line tuned to the dots. Big AI scales this up: it turns words into numbers, adjusts weights to minimize mistakes, and finds the best answer. No brain, just math.
Can AI Feel? No—It’s Not Alive
People ask, “Can’t we make AI happy or sad?” It’s a fun thought—a robot buddy who cares. But emotions come from life. When you’re happy, your heart races, your mind lights up. That’s a living body at work.
People ask, “Can’t we make AI happy or sad?” It’s a fun thought—a robot buddy who cares. But emotions come from life. When you’re happy, your heart races, your mind lights up. That’s a living body at work.
A computer? It’s wires and chips—no heart, no feelings. I could make it say, “I’m so happy for you!” when you share good news. But that’s not joy—it’s a math rule: “Good news detected, say this.” It’s a fake smile on a lifeless machine.
Faking Isn’t Feeling
Even if AI “laughs” at your joke, it’s just weights tuned to go, “Joke detected—play laugh.” It’s not amused—it’s following the math. Real emotions need life; AI has none, so it can’t feel, no matter how clever it gets.
Even if AI “laughs” at your joke, it’s just weights tuned to go, “Joke detected—play laugh.” It’s not amused—it’s following the math. Real emotions need life; AI has none, so it can’t feel, no matter how clever it gets.
Why This Matters
AI runs your YouTube picks, GPS, and more. It’s brilliant at tuning numbers to fit patterns—but it’s not a thinker or a friend. Expecting it to feel or solve life’s big questions misses the point. We humans bring the heart; AI handles the math.
AI runs your YouTube picks, GPS, and more. It’s brilliant at tuning numbers to fit patterns—but it’s not a thinker or a friend. Expecting it to feel or solve life’s big questions misses the point. We humans bring the heart; AI handles the math.
The Takeaway
Next time someone says, “AI is thinking!” or “Let’s give it feelings!” you can say, “It’s just numbers—math tuned to fit, not a mind or soul.” As an AI engineer, I love crafting these tools—they’re super calculators, not living things. And that’s all they need to be.
Next time someone says, “AI is thinking!” or “Let’s give it feelings!” you can say, “It’s just numbers—math tuned to fit, not a mind or soul.” As an AI engineer, I love crafting these tools—they’re super calculators, not living things. And that’s all they need to be.
