By Jane Goodall
Publication Date: 2026-02-20 00:14:00
Anyone who seriously engages in a dialogue with a Large Language Model (LLM) could get the impression that they are interacting with an intelligence. However, many experts in the field argue that the impression is just that. In the words of philosopher Daniel Dennett, such systems demonstrate “competence without understanding.”
The artificial general intelligence (AGI) hype from major corporations and their celebrity spokespeople has led to a backlash in which skepticism turns to cynicism, often with a touch of paranoia about how “stochastic parrots” could begin to control our lives.
“Intelligence” itself has become an overheated topic, requiring less assertiveness, more cool thinking, and new attempts at a starting point.
Review: What is Intelligence: Lessons from AI about Evolution, Computing and Mind – Blaise Agüera y Arcus (MIT Press)
What is intelligence? by Google luminary Blaise Agüera y Arcus is the first book in a new series from MIT in collaboration with…
