Knowledge in Animals and Machines
Abstract
Drawing on philosophical theories of knowledge, I develop a conceptual framework for knowledge in animals and machines. I use this framework to engineer a new concept of large language model (LLM) knowledge and propose a taxonomy of knowledge that spans biological and artificial categories, from C. elegans to LLMs. The approach lays a foundation for a rigorous account of how knowledge can be realized across animals and machines while at the same time respecting the diverse biological and physical sources of such knowledge.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Language and cultural evolution
Embodied and Extended Cognition
Origins and Evolution of Life
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- e0939252025–e0939252025
- Publication date
- 7 January 2026
- Language
- EN