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Open AI’s latest effort to squeeze as much human smarts as possible into a large language model is due out early next year. ChatGPT5, as the new bot will be known, will reportedly be equipped to solve complex logical and multi-step problems like a human with a Ph.D. What it likely won’t do, however, is know much of anything about how the world works.
AI researchers have puzzled for decades over how to imbue computers with the kind of commonsense knowledge about everyday reality that humans use to move through space and time successfully, often called the “commonsense knowledge problem.” Teaching self-driving cars to prevent collisions has been challenging, for example, because they can’t reason about the position or intentions of pedestrians the way that humans do.
Conversations can swing from dinosaurs to why the sky is blue in a heartbeat.
Commonsense knowledge is built on a series of basic concepts available to humans from a very early age. We know that objects persist—they don’t appear or disappear without a reason. They possess shapes, which can be manipulated and changed in space and time. A 5-year-old child can draw conclusions like, “If I roll this glass off a table, it will fall on the floor and break into pieces.”
Commonsense is just one area of intelligence wanting in large language models (LLM)—which use machine learning to comprehend and generate text. There’s so much they still can’t grasp. So we decided to take a closer look at how our LLM titans stack up against the mighty intellect of a 5-year-old.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
The LLM:
LLMs have access to an expansive vocabulary capable of generating sonnets that would make Shakespeare swoon and explaining quantum physics like they’re talking about making a sandwich.
They can seamlessly switch between writing an academic paper and crafting a love letter, showcasing a versatile linguistic prowess.
The 5-Year-Old:
Known for their love of words like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and their tendency to make up words when real ones just won’t do. Conversations can swing from dinosaurs to why the sky is blue in a heartbeat.
The 5-year-old kid is a master of storytelling, capable of spinning wild tales where unicorns battle robots and the family dog is the secret hero. Their stories are unbounded by reality, which is exactly why they’re so enchanting.
WORLD KNOWLEDGE
The LLM:
LLMs are virtual encyclopedias, armed with facts on everything from the mating habits of penguins to the history of the Sumerian empire; from explaining how the circulatory system works to detailing the events of the French Revolution.
Adept at quick fact-checking and providing background information on a huge number of topics, they also excel at answering trivia questions and providing quick factual data. Whether you need to know the capital of Bhutan or the chemical formula for table salt, they’ve got you covered.
The 5-Year-Old:
The 5-year-old child typically possesses a curious grasp of the world: “Why is the moon following us?” or “How do trees eat?” They are known to possess a seemingly boundless scientific curiosity that can keep adults on their toes and is essential for their cognitive development.
If the knowledge of the 5-year-old is limited, imagination fills in the gaps. Ask them about space, and you’ll hear about aliens with ice cream planets and rocket ships made of cat whiskers and candy bars.
COMMON SENSE AND CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING
The LLM:
LLMs can draw logical connections based on patterns in training text, such as understanding that if “it rains, the ground gets wet.” However, they might not grasp that bringing an umbrella is a practical next step unless it’s explicitly stated in the text.
They’re also capable of generating responses that are contextually accurate, as long as those contexts are well-defined in their data. LLMs may struggle with ambiguous phrases like “Can you pass the salt?” but typically know when to say “thank you” after a compliment.
The 5-Year-Old:
Five-year-olds instinctively know that you shouldn’t stack books on top of a cake, even if they might try it just to see what happens. Can say “thank you” after a compliment but might also stick their tongue out.
They understand the concept of gravity when their ice cream falls but might still argue that it was “gravity’s fault” when they trip over their own feet.
Can understand that bedtime means pajamas and brushing teeth, but might insist that wearing a superhero cape to bed is a necessary part of the routine, just in case they need to fly in their dreams.
Ask them about space, and you’ll hear about aliens with ice cream planets.
IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY
The LLM:
Can whip up a tale of dragons and knights or a futuristic sci-fi epic by pulling together elements from vast databases of stories.
Their creativity is apparent in their ability to produce text that sounds imaginative, if not always original.
The 5-Year-Old:
The 5-year-old mind is a limitless playground. They invent invisible friends who speak in rhymes, and worlds where every animal wears a hat and glasses.
A child’s artwork might include a rainbow next to a giraffe because why shouldn’t the giraffe have a lovely day?
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
The LLM:
Can detect emotional tones in text and generate responses that seem empathetic, though they’re more like emotion detectives than participants.
The data-crunching technology provides on-the-fly supportive language when prompted, perfect for giving a virtual hug via text.
The 5-Year-Old:
When someone cries, their instinct is to hug it out, or offer a favorite toy as a peace offering. Five-year-olds are known to feel deeply and respond with genuine warmth. Importantly, they can learn about emotions through interactions—like knowing that saying “please” gets more cookies than “now!”
SUMMARY
LLMs impress with their vast knowledge, linguistic versatility, and ability to generate coherent and complex text across a myriad of topics. They serve as powerful tools for information processing, providing quick access to facts and generating creative content that mimics human language. But they’re bounded by the data they’ve been trained on, and they lack genuine understanding, common sense, and emotional depth.
Five-year-olds have an endearing mix of curiosity, imagination, and emotional intelligence. The child’s knowledge is rooted in personal experience and expressed through imaginative storytelling, spontaneous reasoning, and genuine empathy. While they may not know every capital city or historical date, their ability to invent stories, understand context through play, and connect with others on an emotional level is what makes them, and humans generally, so clever, perceptive, and delightful.
WINNER
The 5-Year-Old! 
Lead image: Aleutie / Shutterstock
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