Theory of Mind in LLMs: How Deep Can Recursive Belief Modeling Go?

Can AI understand what you think I think you think? Theory of Mind (ToM)—the ability to attribute mental states to others—is considered a hallmark of human social intelligence. We naturally track what others believe, want, and intend. But it gets harder when beliefs nest: understanding what Alice thinks Bob believes about Carol’s intentions requires recursive modeling that strains even human cognition. This experiment tests how deep LLMs can go in recursive belief modeling....

February 17, 2025 · 5 min