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points by nathanfig 2 days ago | 0 comments
I recently evaluated LLMs for use for offline navigation, with this very kind of survival scenario in mind: https://fig.blue/posts/directions-from-memory/

tl;dr: Local LLMs are really really bad at offline navigation.

That said, pairing the survival guide with a library is totally the right move.

[–] jojobas 2 days ago
Why would you want LLM navigation where offline deterministic navigation have been there forever?
[–] nathanfig 1 day ago
If you happen to have an app and library of all the maps you want then yes, that is better. You could ask the same about Survival LLM: Why not just grep a survival guide?

The thesis is that someday an LLM might perform better than both. But I agree, not yet.

[–] jojobas 1 day ago
A survival guide won't answer a question, you need to search it for some sort of keywords, you might not be using the same term or not know what a particular thing is called, and might end up having to read all of it to find the info you need, or not find it at all.

Navigation is a closed task, A* will always find an optimal route as long as your street info is current, you can't do better than that.