Science of Intelligence: Human Intelligence to Computational Intelligence

Prof. Risto Ilmoniemi, Head of Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Finland participates in Risk Roundup to discuss “Science of Intelligence: Human Intelligence to Computational Intelligence”. Overview It is said that what we cannot create we do not understand. While the very nature of human mind and the science of intelligence is difficult to understand, there is an intense effort going on across nations to build a conscious computer mind out of computer chips. Do we know enough about science of intelligence to build computational intelligence? Perhaps not! As a result, there are growing concerns and questions about building a computer mind from electronic pieces when there is so little clarity about the human mind, science of intelligence and the very nature of human consciousness. From the beginning of human times, the power of imagination has helped, we the humans, explore the unknowns, evolve, and change the world around us. We have fundamentally transformed the geospace. The same power of imagination will perhaps, continue to help us explore, the unknowns of the cyberspace and space, and change the reality around humanity. Imagination has always been an indicator of human intelligence. While imagination is a creative power that is necessary for inventions in cyberspace, geospace and space (CGS), the same power of imagination is driving neuroscientists today to understanding human intelligence, imagination and where ideas originate from– the human brain and mind better. The power of imagination can transform the reality around us because new ideas enables us to innovate. We, the humans, and the human mind carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better, and imagination makes it possible to experience a whole world inside the human mind, which we can then go and create outside in the cyberspace, geospace and space. Irrespective of human intelligence or computational intelligence, knowing what determines intelligence is perhaps the biggest question humanity faces today. It is therefore important that we evaluate the fundamentals of the science of intelligence. What is Intelligence? There are many theories of intelligence. While it is not the scope of this initiative to discuss all relevant theories of intelligence, intelligence basically seems to have a broad meaning covering many human mental activities. Intelligence is not just a single general ability. From problem solving, thinking abstractly, learning, understanding, reasoning, and more; human intelligence seems to be a whole collection of mental processes. While human mind seems to be a set of cognitive capacities that includes consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory; it seems they are all interrelated and interconnected. While, we still don’t have a clear understanding of all the cognitive capacities that allow us clear understanding of human intelligence, perhaps they collectively determine the level of human intelligence. What is the relationship between learning and intelligence? In recent years, it is reported that the structure of the adult human brain changes when a new cognitive or motor skill, including vocabulary, is learned. This perhaps changes the level of intelligence and nature of intelligence as well. It is important to understand and evaluate how is the evolution of human intelligence is closely tied to the nature of the human learning. If we identify what individuals across nations are learning today than we can define and determine the collective intelligence of a nation. What controls intelligence? It is reported that as a species, we, the humans exhibit a broad range of intelligence, of which heritability (through genes) can account for 50 percent. The fact that there are genes which control human intelligence provides us a ...