The different facets of intelligence in nature

Over the past few years, we've been inundated with stories about artificial intelligence: how it will change things, its risks and potential, and so on. But is it really intelligence? Researcher and author James Bridle says yes, but adds that it's mostly a very corporatist approach. AI intelligence is based above all on the notion of connection, i.e. that with millions of analyzed data, something or someone becomes more intelligent. But that would be to overlook other existing intelligences.

Facebook had created two conversational bots and given them the task of negotiating without specifying how. As a result, the two algorithms ended up chatting in a language we didn't understand. Immediately, the engineers stopped the experiment and the media brandished the threat of these AIs starting to develop their language. In the author's view, it would have been better to continue with the experiment and take an interest in this different approach to communication. The problem is that we continue to analyze intelligence from the human angle.

Yet we know that animals, plants and even single-celled beings have developed remarkable skills for surviving in their environment. This is a form of intelligence. When a tree in a forest sends out a chemical signal to inform others that it is being attacked by insects, this is part of its mastery of its environment. In fact, researchers have noted that mycelia can more easily solve the "travelling salesman problem" than mathematicians or computers. We're just beginning to take an interest in unconventional computing with mushrooms or crabs. This openness to other intelligences could take us even further.

Running time: 22 minutes