During this week’s Digital Food Business course, I had the pleasure of attending several expert presentations on the topics of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and data science. I was impressed by the wide range of perspectives, the enthusiasm, but also the calm examination of the possibilities of data science and artificial intelligence. Many of the expert contributions were extremely inspiring and also eye-opening in many ways. Marcel Blattner, for instance, categorized current technological developments and impressively separated hype from fact. His input and approach raised several critical questions within me:
- What do the terms “artificial” and “intelligence” mean?
- How do we define “Artificial Intelligence”?
- When and why do we use the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) for a technological solution?
- What differentiates AI from other technologies that solve problems and perform tasks for humans?
In this blog post, I aim to answer these questions by interacting with experts during the Digital Food Business week and by using different AI systems. However, my primary goal is to provide the reader with insights into my personal opinion-forming process.
Where is the Boundary between “Natural” and “Artificial”?
Searching for the answer to this question, I was surprised that the first entry on the Google search engine referred to the Federal Office of Topography, “swisstopo.” Defining the state border, swisstopo treats the aspect of distinguishing between artificial and natural borders of Switzerland. Lakes, rivers, and mountains are referred to as natural boundaries without specific markers in the terrain, whereas artificial boundaries are represented by markers, often manifested by artistically carved stones connected by straight lines on a map. This means artificial boundaries have a manmade point of reference, whereas natural boundaries have a non-manmade point of reference.
I intuitively liked this distinction, which, in my mental construct, I would also apply to areas such as Life Sciences. While this intuition isn’t necessarily incorrect, it appears to be incomplete. According to Perplexity AI, citing the Cambridge Dictionary, “The term ‘artificial’ encompasses the idea of being humanly contrived, not occurring naturally, and often lacking in spontaneity or sincerity. It can also describe something that is made in imitation of a natural product, especially as a substitute and not genuine.” This definition seems convincing, including the concepts of spontaneity and imitation. However, can we really draw clear boundaries in every case? Would we classify a cell culture from a laboratory as artificial because it would not occur naturally without human intervention? This brings us to the philosophical question of whether we as humans belong to nature and to what extent. Or rather if we count OURSELVES as part of nature. In my opinion, the Cambridge definition implies that we are not part of the natural world – decoupled, so to speak. But one could also tend to see the human species as a fully integrated part of the natural world. In that case, all the consequences of our being and acting would automatically be part of natural development too. I have not yet found a conclusive position for myself in this regard. It seems that the boundaries between natural and artificial are blurry and a matter of perspective.
Are Humans Intelligent?
During his lecture, Peter Kauf asked us: “Do we all agree that we humans are intelligent?” Regardless of the various definitions of the word “intelligence,” this question led me to one realization. Our point of reference when trying to grasp the concept of intelligence is, and may always naturally be, the human brain, human behaviour, and human intelligence (HI). From a scientific point of view, there are different ideas, proposals, and considerations. The concept of intelligence does not seem to have revealed all its secrets. However, the scientific world seems to have agreed on some important points: “Intelligence encompasses the abilities to learn, reason, understand, adapt to new situations, and handle abstract concepts.” (Perplexity AI)
Which Technology earns the Title “Artificial Intelligence”?
To answer this question, a look into the past and the origins of the term “Artificial Intelligence” seems helpful. The concept has ancient roots, but the modern development goes back to the mid-20th century. The introduction of the term by John McCarthy in 1956 marks the formal inception of AI as an academic field of research. The purpose and goal of AI remain the same: machines should perform tasks intelligently, simulating human intelligence to solve complex problems. It is precisely this focus on the imitation of human behaviour and intelligence that differentiates AI from other machines and technologies. According to Perplexity AI, “AI refers to the general ability of computers to emulate human thought, enabling them to simulate human intelligence to solve problems.” This definition aligns with my initial thought of human intelligence as a point of reference to assess intelligence. However, there is another aspect linked to this differentiation: the transformative potential of AI. The adaptability, autonomy, complexity, and scale of AI set it apart from traditional technologies. The capacities of AI far exceed those of humans. Still, not all experts subscribe to this perspective. A more nuanced outlook emerges when contrasting human capabilities with artificial intelligence. Marcel Blattner states that “machines have difficulty adapting to new situations”. Echoing this sentiment, David Schildberger believes that AI surpasses HI only on a horizontal level and in terms of speed, lacking the capacity for abstraction. He contends, “…AI lacks the ability to abstract, not simplifying, and therefore lacks a vertical dimension. This is what makes human intelligence so beautiful and intriguing.”
Nevertheless, AI has still the potential to be deployed on a massive scale, affecting every aspect of society, the economy, and the environment. AI is expected to significantly impact sustainability by contributing to the development of advanced sensors, leading to more livable and less polluted cities. It is projected to revolutionize various sectors, automating non-routine tasks, and potentially impacting a substantial portion of jobs, necessitating new skills and positions in the workforce.
When contemplating these forthcoming prospects, instead of the pursuit to harmonize or level the playing field between Human Intelligence (HI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), a discourse on their complementary coexistence becomes imperative. This, in turn, gives rise to profound inquiries regarding the nature of this collaboration. The ethical and societal implications of AI are crucial, requiring responsible deployment to ensure positive societal impact, address potential job displacement, and mitigate concerns related to bias and misuse. But we humans must ask ourselves these questions. We must introspect and not rely on AI to solve these issues for us; there may be no definitive solution, only the opportunity to negotiate and reach a consensus on how humanity confronts these challenges.
What is my personal meaning of “Artificial Intelligence”?
After examining the topic, I have come to the following temporary conclusion: The term “Artificial Intelligence” is related to the ability to imitate human intelligence as a point of reference. But it is also connected to the immense transformative potential it inherits. As humans we often pride ourselves of having become the dominant species on the planet through our intelligent capacities. Considering a form of intelligence with transformative potential akin to our human impact is both thrilling and daunting at the same time. The inclusion of the term “intelligence” in a technology capable of profound global change is striking. Let us see where the journey brings us. Let us see how intelligent we humans really are.
Fabiano De Gani
Sources and tools:
https://www.deepl.com/translator
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/artificial
The image has been created by the author with the help of Adobe Firefly (https://firefly.adobe.com/)
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