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What should be AI?

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sravna

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What should be AI?

The term “intelligence” is a very vague one and constantly eludes precise definition. No wonder, in the mission to develop artificial intelligence we see a wide range of focus among the AI scientists because of a lack of consensus on what intelligence is.

In my opinion, the very first step in the development of AI, is to come to a consensus on what intelligence means. We can then decide its scope and applications. Therefore, I first discuss my understanding of the term intelligence and explain how it may serve as the logical basis for developing AI.


To me the length of time an entity can survive and also lead a high quality of existence is a measure of its intelligence. I chose survival as one yardstick of intelligence because, physical world is an arena where there is a constant competition among the beings for the finite and limited resources that exist.


The need of an entity to prevail over others becomes a paramount objective, as otherwise it may lead to the demise of that entity. So anything that is employed towards this end can be equated with the most precious attribute that the entity possesses. I call this attribute as intelligence. On this yardstick, even animals can be said to possess intelligence because they are constantly striving for survival.


The second yardstick for intelligence is the quality of existence of the entity. How can we measure the quality of existence? It is in the harmonious existence of the entity with the other beings. The ability of an entity to be in harmony with its environment, I believe is of the ultimate value in ensuring that quality because it means lack of discord and existence of peace in the entity.


If the above abilities define intelligence, then what can we say about the ability to do complex math, or the ability to perform virtuoso music or the ability to galvanize people and many similar abilities? I see these as the pieces of the two big picture abilities we discussed. These pieces have value but more truly, while serving to put together the whole.


On a closer examination of the big picture yardsticks of intelligence, it would seem that competing to ensure survival and living harmoniously with environment for high quality of existence, are at odds with each other. But when competing can be turned into complementing, the threat of competition vanishes. There is also a fulfillment for all. This in fact is the hallmark of higher intelligence.


We thus see true intelligence as the ability to turn a competitive situation into a complementing situation and ensure a holistic benefit. This concept can serve as the basis for defining intelligence because it is about creating a win-win situation.


Given the above understanding of intelligence, we can say that AI is not just about developing the ability to plan, create or any such task in a piecemeal way but about developing the ability to see them as components of the big picture objectives of intelligence.


It is a very tall order and may even be impossible for an algorithm or any step by step driven machine. Machines also need the necessary knowledge upon which to employ intelligence.


It seems that if one needs to develop such a machine, one needs to create an ability in machines, similar to intuition in humans. In the case of humans, knowledge and intelligence interact to offer an intuition which is a holistic understanding of reality. The interaction between knowledge and intelligence also serves to further each other. I believe intuition is something that happens as a result of being one with nature and giving that ability to machines can be the most forbidding task.
 
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