Artificial intelligence is the study and creation of artificial intelligent agents. To ameliorate the seeming tautology in the definition, it is important to state the characteristics of intelligent agents. An agent is anything that performs an action in an environment. Human beings, dogs, robots and self-driving cars are some examples of agents. An agent is considered intelligent if it reacts and adjusts to changes in an environment. An agent must be able to learn from experience in order to be considered intelligent. The above definition is given in the context of agents. Artificial intelligence can also be defined as the creation and study of software systems that mimic some aspects of human intelligence. In essence, I think that the definition of AI should be restrictive given that human intelligence is broad (emotional intelligence, intelligence quotient, social intelligence, etc.). Intelligence involves complex components such as reasoning (ability to draw conclusion from facts), problem solving, perception, language understanding and forming abstractions. A machine has not been created that can exhibit all these aspects of intelligence.
The structure and complexity of the brain play a significant role in intelligence. The environment is also a key factor in determining an agent’s intelligence. For these reasons, it is obvious and evident that a dog is more intelligent than a worm. A dog has more neurons and synaptic connections that transmit signals from one cell to another. The social nature of dogs allows them to pick up cues that enhance their intelligence. In other words, dogs are able to take advantage of the environment to enhance their intelligence. Compared to a worm, a dog lives in an environment that calls for the application of intelligence to survive. By applying intelligence, a dog improves its intelligence quotient. A dog has a higher awareness of its surroundings. A dog can be trained. A worm cannot. In other words, a dog can learn from experience.
On the other hand, a human has a highly developed brain structure. Whilst dogs are social, a human is more social and can take advantage of this to enhance his/her intelligence. I think that intelligence should be seen in relative terms. For example, ants have a very complex social structure that can arguably be compared to humans’. In terms of social organization, ants are very intelligent.
An organization is made up of many people and diverse resources. The sum is usually greater than the parts. For example, it takes a team to develop a complex and efficient software system. An organization combines the intellectual inputs of tens of people to create knowledge that can be used to difficult problems. Compared to an individual human, an organization can draw from a repository of rich institutional knowledge to make decisions.
Whilst I concede that an organization is more intelligent than an individual human, I note that an organization can be susceptible to group think. This can make an organization less intelligent than an individual human.
Concerns about artificial autonomous agents outsmarting humans and taking over the world has been a staple of science fiction for many years. I used to dismiss this with a wave of the hand. Now it seems to me that it is not far-fetched that they can pose a danger to humans. For example if an autonomous agent malfunctions, it can do something it is not designed to do, and thus pose a danger to humans.
I wonder whether it is possible for self-driving cars to eliminate the need for human drivers. Driving, in my opinion, is a complex activity; it involves many human faculties. Is it possible to program a car to anticipate all the conditions it will encounter? Is it possible to create an algorithm that allows a car to learn from its experience and apply what it has learned to handle novel conditions effectively? Will car manufacturers or passengers be held responsible when an autonomous car kills a pedestrian? Interesting questions! I can foresee many problems, but time will tell.
