Adaptive Edge

Max Bennett's A Brief History of Intelligence traces the evolution of intelligence, from simple single-celled organisms to the complex human brain and artificial intelligence. The book examines five key breakthroughs: the emergence of steering behaviors in early animals, reinforcement learning in vertebrates, simulation in mammals, mentalizing in primates, and finally, language in humans. Bennett compares the capabilities of artificial intelligence with human intelligence, highlighting the significant discrepancies between them. He argues that understanding artificial intelligence requires first understanding the nature of human intelligence and its evolutionary origins, exploring this through the lens of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and computer science. The author concludes by discussing the potential for future breakthroughs in AI, including the possibility of artificial superintelligence.