Is AI really ‘intelligent’? | News

The article discusses skepticism and cynicism surrounding the intelligence of Large Language Models (LLMs) due to their “competence without comprehension.”
The book What Is Intelligence? by Blaise Agüera y Arcas, published by MIT in collaboration with Antikythera, explores the notion that intelligence is derived from computation and prediction, not merely sensory interaction or physical advantage.
The book argues that computation is fundamental to intelligence across all life forms, drawing parallels between biological and mechanical forms of intelligence.
Agüera y Arcas’ research focuses on how pattern and functional complexity arise from randomness, shifting the understanding of how life evolves through patterns instead of natural selection.
The book examines whether intelligence is a property of systems or beings, and questions whether traditional views of intelligence need a paradigm shift to accommodate new computational models of intelligence.
The extensive discussions in the book also consider the potential of communication and interaction with diverse forms of intelligence, ranging from cells and tissues to synthetic robots and software-based AIs.