Brainwaves: Is AI actually thinking?

Brainwaves: Is AI actually thinking?

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026/02/11/brainwaves-artificial-intelligence-human-behavior

Publish Date: 2026-02-11 16:03:00

Source Domain: www.wbur.org

Here are four to six key points from the third episode in ‘Brainwaves: Mysteries of the human brain,’ focusing on what artificial intelligence teaches us about our own capacity for thought:

1. The Evolution of AI: Initially, AI was modeled based on the assumption that human thinking was a logical and rational process that could be replicated through programming. However, this approach proved unsuccessful as AI struggled to solve real-world problems.

2. Training Large Language Models (LLMs): Modern AI systems like the ones discussed in the show are trained through large quantities of data rather than being manually programmed. They learn to predict the next word in a sequence to understand language and context, but this differs significantly from human language acquisition which involves a broader set of experiences and feedback.

3. Differences between AI and Human Thinking: While AI can generate language in fluent and coherent ways, it lacks the holistic and contextual understanding of human thinking. Human intelligence involves not just language but also emotional, social, and physical thinking, which is interconnected with real-world experiences and self-awareness.

4. Challenges of Defining Thinking in AI: There is an ongoing debate about whether AI genuinely “thinks” like humans, even when it can produce language that appears coherent and logical. Critics argue that AI lacks the depth of self-awareness and experiential learning that characterizes true human cognition.

5. Implications of AI Studying Human Thought: AI systems help researchers understand human cognition by modeling aspects of thinking, such as predictive processing and semantic reasoning. While AI performs these tasks differently from humans, they offer insights into the mechanisms of human thought and how it can be computationally modeled.

6. Future of AI and Human Interaction: As AI progresses in language and problem-solving abilities, it continues to challenge and refine our understanding of human cognition, suggesting a complex interplay between emulation of human thought and the unique nature of machine intelligence.