So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence."

So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

* Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
* Is a billionaire intelligent?
* Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

"Aphids are less intelligent than ants." I think even the ants and aphids are aware of this. But, what does that statement really mean?

Aphids make very few observable interesting decisions.

In contrast to this ants are constantly making decisions that are easy to observe. For some aphids, part of their survival strategy is to allow ants to make most of their decisions for them.

Ants decide where they forage. Ants decide if they reproduce. Ants even regulate their digestive system.

@futurebird
The funny thing is that human innovation often starts with "the wrong way"

E.g. the discovery of x-rays by the accidental x-ray of Wilhelm Röntgens wife Anna Bertha Ludwig's hand .

Or the discovery of penicillin through an contaminated sample

@futurebird

Love the implication of the second one

@mahryekuh

I think that's part of it. Although what keeps me up at night is thinking about the ease with which ants will abandon a bad but popular path for a shorter more effective one.

You will never have an ant who is saying "but this is the way my older sister went, you insult her memory by not using her path, she suffered so much" or "that ant who found the new shorter path thinks she's better than me, lets get rid of her and the path this is so embarrassing."

I hope.

So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

* Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
* Is a billionaire intelligent?
* Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

* Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
* Is a billionaire intelligent?
* Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

@futurebird 1. No.
2. No.
3. Intelligence isn't an axis of measurement, it's a qualitative property. So no.

@futurebird
“intelligent” is an adjective categorizing/qualifying a noun & has meaning in an applied context: having or showing high level of intelligence.
“Intelligence” is a noun, describing a specific ability to acquire knowledge & skills.
So “intelligent intelligence” implies there is also “unintelligent intelligence” therefore the noun is spectral in nature like light- .

In general conversation it seems “Intelligence” is being conflated with “genius” I.e. exceptional intelligence.

That one ant going the "wrong way" isn't less intelligent than the rest. She's an essential part of the system.

Because sometimes that ant finds a shortcut. If she finds a shortcut her pheromone path, the passive evidence of her motion, the freshness of the leaf bit she delivers will attract more ants to her path. Quickly, without discussion or resentment, (cough cough) all of the ants switch to the new shorter path.

The 'wrong way ants' prevent the ants from being trapped in bad attractors.

That one ant going the "wrong way" isn't less intelligent than the rest. She's an essential part of the system.

Because sometimes that ant finds a shortcut. If she finds a shortcut her pheromone path, the passive evidence of her motion, the freshness of the leaf bit she delivers will attract more ants to her path. Quickly, without discussion or resentment, (cough cough) all of the ants switch to the new shorter path.

The 'wrong way ants' prevent the ants from being trapped in bad attractors.

So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

* Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
* Is a billionaire intelligent?
* Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

@futurebird For me, the line is between clever - someone who knows a lot of things, whether through exceptional memory or a great deal of study - and intelligent - someone who can understand new problems and solve them. Clever is fine for some tasks and hopeless for others. Intelligence is much more flexible - and can seek out the relevant knowledge they don't have.

As for the technology equivalent, LLMs are a version of clever, generally minus the awareness of whether they are right or wrong!

@mahryekuh

I think that's part of it. Although what keeps me up at night is thinking about the ease with which ants will abandon a bad but popular path for a shorter more effective one.

You will never have an ant who is saying "but this is the way my older sister went, you insult her memory by not using her path, she suffered so much" or "that ant who found the new shorter path thinks she's better than me, lets get rid of her and the path this is so embarrassing."

I hope.

@futurebird @mahryekuh avoiding bad attractors like cars, amazon (the online purchasing scam), cryptocurrency, and covid-19 has made me terribly unpopular. More importantly, it has cost me jobs, which has led to homelessness. And don't even get me started on how medical insurers and education systems pummel people who avoid bad attractors like cars with hatred and abuse. Nothing is more unamerican than avoiding bad attractors.