"Subligence" – proposed coinage for LLM "intelligence"
Call me a snowflake, but I propose that those of us who don't believe that AI is actually intelligence look for a term to refer to its "thinking" that isn't "intelligence", because this helps our weak minds keep things straight. subligence /sʌbˈlɪdʒəns/ n. A lesser or rudimentary form of intelligence; the capacity to respond, select, or adapt without full understanding. The semblance of mind in animals, machines, systems, or inanimate things. Discernment beneath reason; inferior intelligence. Example: "Since December, the coding models have gotten noticeably more subligent, so much so that the undiscerning eye has trouble distinguishing their output from human intelligence." 2 comments on Hacker News.
Call me a snowflake, but I propose that those of us who don't believe that AI is actually intelligence look for a term to refer to its "thinking" that isn't "intelligence", because this helps our weak minds keep things straight. subligence /sʌbˈlɪdʒəns/ n. A lesser or rudimentary form of intelligence; the capacity to respond, select, or adapt without full understanding. The semblance of mind in animals, machines, systems, or inanimate things. Discernment beneath reason; inferior intelligence. Example: "Since December, the coding models have gotten noticeably more subligent, so much so that the undiscerning eye has trouble distinguishing their output from human intelligence."
Call me a snowflake, but I propose that those of us who don't believe that AI is actually intelligence look for a term to refer to its "thinking" that isn't "intelligence", because this helps our weak minds keep things straight. subligence /sʌbˈlɪdʒəns/ n. A lesser or rudimentary form of intelligence; the capacity to respond, select, or adapt without full understanding. The semblance of mind in animals, machines, systems, or inanimate things. Discernment beneath reason; inferior intelligence. Example: "Since December, the coding models have gotten noticeably more subligent, so much so that the undiscerning eye has trouble distinguishing their output from human intelligence." 2 comments on Hacker News.
Call me a snowflake, but I propose that those of us who don't believe that AI is actually intelligence look for a term to refer to its "thinking" that isn't "intelligence", because this helps our weak minds keep things straight. subligence /sʌbˈlɪdʒəns/ n. A lesser or rudimentary form of intelligence; the capacity to respond, select, or adapt without full understanding. The semblance of mind in animals, machines, systems, or inanimate things. Discernment beneath reason; inferior intelligence. Example: "Since December, the coding models have gotten noticeably more subligent, so much so that the undiscerning eye has trouble distinguishing their output from human intelligence."
Hacker News story: "Subligence" – proposed coinage for LLM "intelligence"
![Hacker News story: "Subligence" – proposed coinage for LLM "intelligence"]()
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May 22, 2026
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