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Are language models models?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2026

Philip Resnik Open the ORCID record for Philip Resnik [Opens in a new window]
Philip Resnik*
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, USA resnik@umd.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Futrell and Mahowald claim language models (LMs) “serve as model systems,” but an assessment at each of Marr’s three levels suggests the claim is clearly not true at the implementation level, poorly motivated at the algorithmic-representational level, and problematic at the computational theory level. LMs are good candidates as tools; calling them cognitive models overstates the case and unnecessarily feeds large language model hype.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e220
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© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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