Yes, there's an empirical way to make me (or anyone) believe an LLM is understanding: Ground it in the capacity to pass the robotic version of the Turing Test: i.e., walk the walk, not just talk the talk, Turing indistinguishable from a real, understanding person (for a lifetime, if need be). A mere word-bag in a vat, no matter how big, can't do that.
Yes, there's an empirical way to make me (or anyone) believe an LLM is understanding: Ground it in the capacity to pass the robotic version of the Turing Test: i.e., walk the walk, not just talk the talk, Turing indistinguishable from a real, understanding person (for a lifetime, if need be). A mere word-bag in a vat, no matter how big, can't do that.