For decades, scientists have been working on teaching monkeys and chimpanzees new skills. Through immense effort and research, they've managed to train these animals to perform several tasks. These experiments were groundbreaking in understanding animal intelligence. However, one significant limitation stood out — these animals never asked questions.
The Limitation of Primate Intelligence
For example, if you teach a chimpanzee to solve a puzzle or complete a task, it might learn and replicate it. But it won't ask why it needs to solve the puzzle or try to find a completely new way to solve it. This lack of curiosity and self-driven exploration limits how much they can innovate or adapt beyond what they're taught.
AI's Superior Questioning Ability
Now, let's compare this with artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT. AI models not only learn but often ask questions back to clarify or deepen their understanding. This back-and-forth allows them to refine their answers and improve their performance. In a way, these models exhibit a level of "curiosity" that animals like monkeys and chimpanzees don't.
This is a major milestone. What took millions of years of evolution to achieve in animals, AI can often accomplish in days or weeks of training. It's a stark reminder of how rapidly AI is advancing. In fact, AI isn't just competing with animal intelligence — it's catching up to, and in some ways surpassing, human intelligence.
A Reflection on Human Behavior
Here's something to think about: many humans today don't always use their intelligence to its full potential. Some people blindly follow what their leaders say or believe everything they see on social media. They don't ask why. Why should I believe this? Why is this information true or false? Without questioning, they lose the chance to think critically and make informed decisions.
This lack of curiosity in humans is what makes AI's capabilities stand out even more. AI models are designed to ask and process endless "why" and "how" questions, making them effective problem-solvers. In contrast, some people avoid questioning altogether, relying on others to do the thinking for them. For those I want to say, "AI has already crossed your intelligence."
The Future of Intelligence
This comparison between AI, animals, and humans reveals something fascinating: intelligence isn't just about knowing — it's about questioning and exploring. While monkeys and chimpanzees have basic intelligence, AI models are already showing traits like curiosity and adaptability that surpass them. And as AI continues to improve, it might even outpace humans in certain areas of intelligence.