Definition
Plain language
A simple abstract machine that's always in one of a fixed set of states and jumps between them based on its input.
As stated in the literature
A computational model with a finite set of states and transition rules over inputs; used as a controlled deterministic state-tracking task to probe whether models can reliably simulate sequential computation.
Also called: finite-state machines
Why it matters: It matters as a clean, controlled task for testing whether a model can faithfully simulate step-by-step computation.
For example, a turnstile is a finite-state machine: it sits in 'locked' until a coin flips it to 'unlocked', and a push flips it back.
Heard on the show
“They wrap the agent in what's basically a rulebook of allowed moves — a finite-state machine, but think of it as a board game where from any given square only certain moves are legal.”Episode 149 — When Cornering a Chatbot Makes It Lie: J.P. Morgan's Case for 'Playing Dead'