Generative AI Act II: Test Time Scaling Drives Cognition Engineering

TMLR Paper4743 Authors

Abstract: The first generation of Large Language Models—what might be called ``Act I'' of generative AI (2020-2023)—achieved remarkable success through massive parameter and data scaling, yet exhibited fundamental limitations such as knowledge latency, shallow reasoning, and constrained cognitive processes. During this era, prompt engineering emerged as our primary interface with AI, enabling dialogue-level communication through natural language. We now witness the emergence of ``Act II'' (2024-present), where models are transitioning from knowledge-retrieval systems (in latent space) to thought-construction engines through test-time scaling techniques. In this paper, we clarify the conceptual foundations of cognition engineering and explain why this moment is critical for its development. We systematically break down these advanced approaches through comprehensive tutorials and optimized implementations, democratizing access to cognition engineering and enabling every practitioner to participate in AI's second act.

Submission Length: Long submission (more than 12 pages of main content)

Assigned Action Editor: ~Chris_J_Maddison1

Submission Number: 4743