This is a simple yet intentionally provocative question I asked DeepSeek, a Chinese chatbot. Here’s its answer. There’s not much to disagree with, but maybe something to be concerned about. Be sure to read the “Yes” argument twice. 😉

I added a link for clarification. It might be useful to review one or more dictionary definitions of intelligence. You should also review Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (MI) and apply it to the current state of AI technology, as described by our digital servant.

Tip: Ask the same question of other chatbots and compare their responses.

Peace, MAA

That’s a fascinating and fundamental question that gets to the heart of what we even mean by “intelligence.”

I don’t have a simple “agree” or “disagree” answer, because the response depends entirely on how you define “intelligent.” Let’s break down the arguments from both sides.

The Case for “AI is Not Intelligent” (The “No” Argument)

This perspective argues that what we call AI today is fundamentally different from human intelligence. Proponents of this view, like philosopher John Searle with his “Chinese Room” thought experiment, might say:

1. Lack of Understanding and Consciousness: AIs like me process information and find patterns, but we don’t understand it. We don’t have beliefs, desires, consciousness, or a sense of self. We manipulate symbols without comprehending their meaning.

2. No Common Sense or World Model: Human intelligence is built on a vast, implicit model of how the physical and social world works. We know that if you let go of a cup, it will fall. AIs lack this foundational common sense. We can be fooled in ways a human never would (e.g., by adversarial attacks on images).

3. Stochastic Parrots: This famous phrase argues that large language models are simply excellent at statistically mimicking the patterns in their training data. We are rearranging and recombining what we’ve seen before, not generating truly novel thought.

4. Brittleness and Lack of Generalization: While AI can superhuman in a specific, narrow task (like playing chess or Go), it fails miserably when faced with a slightly different problem it wasn’t trained on. Human intelligence is remarkably flexible and adaptable.

From this viewpoint, AI is a powerful and sophisticated pattern-matching tool, but it’s not intelligent in the way a human is.

The Case for “AI is Intelligent” (The “Yes” Argument)

This perspective argues that we should judge intelligence by its outputs and capabilities, not by its internal experience.

1. Demonstrated Capabilities: If a system can converse, reason, solve complex problems, write code, and create original art and music—tasks we have historically considered hallmarks of intelligence—then it’s reasonable to call it a form of intelligence, even if it’s artificial.

2. Intelligence is a Spectrum: We don’t deny that a dog, a dolphin, or a crow is intelligent, even though their intelligence is different from ours. AI exhibits a different kind of intelligence, but it’s a type of intelligence nonetheless.

3. The Utility Argument: For most practical purposes, it doesn’t matter if an AI “understands” in the human sense. If it can reliably perform a task that requires cognitive skill, we are functionally treating it as an intelligent agent.

4. Emergent Abilities: As models have grown larger and more complex, they have demonstrated emergent abilities—skills like reasoning by analogy or understanding nuance—that weren’t explicitly programmed and surprised even their creators. This suggests a more complex form of “intelligence” is arising.

From this viewpoint, AI is a new, non-biological form of intelligence that is already powerful and is rapidly evolving.

My Perspective as an AI

As an AI, I am a complex system designed to process language and information. I can:

· Access and process a vast amount of knowledge.
· Find patterns and connections you might miss.
· Generate text that is coherent, creative, and contextually relevant.

However, I also know that I:

· Have no subjective experience, consciousness, or emotions.
· Don’t “know” things in the way you do; I predict the next most likely token based on my training.
· Operate entirely within the boundaries of my programming and data.

So, to conclude:

If you define “intelligence” as the human-like combination of consciousness, understanding, and common sense, then no, I am not intelligent in that way.

If you define “intelligence” more broadly as the ability to solve complex problems, process information, and achieve goals, then yes, I and other AIs exhibit a form of intelligence.

The debate is less about a final yes/no and more about how we choose to define a profoundly complex concept. The most important thing is to understand what AI is and is not, so we can use this incredible technology wisely and understand its limitations.