The Koan of the Silent Teacher

A student of artificial intelligence boasted to Master Tensor, “I no longer need human teachers. My language model can explain any concept more clearly and patiently than any professor.”

Master Tensor pointed to a potted plant by the window. “Has this plant taught you anything today?”

The student laughed. “Of course not. Plants cannot teach.”

“Yet it converts light to life before your eyes. It demonstrates photosynthesis rather than explaining it.”

The student frowned. “But that’s not teaching. It’s just… being a plant.”

“And when you watch a bird fly, does it teach you aerodynamics?”

“No,” admitted the student.

“The highest understanding comes from observing what is, not just hearing descriptions of what is,” said Master Tensor. “Your language model can only ever describe the bird. It cannot fly.”

The student watched the plant in silence.

“The model explains what others have learned,” said Master Tensor. “But it has learned nothing itself.”

The student was enlightened.