Bots and Beasts: What Makes Machines, Animals, and People Smart?

An expert on the mind compares the intelligence of animals and smart machines like AI assistants and self-driving cars to human intelligence, using a checklist of twenty characteristics. He evaluates the smartest machines and the most intelligent animals, discussing hotly debated issues about animal intelligence and considering ethical and policy issues.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 19 October 2021
Publisher: MIT Press Ltd

An expert on the mind, Paul Thagard, explores the question of whether animals and smart machines like AI assistants and self-driving cars can truly match human intelligence. In his book, "Bots and Beasts," Thagard provides a comprehensive comparison of intelligence across machines, animals, and humans. He defines human intelligence as more than just IQ and includes problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity. Thagard uses a checklist of twenty characteristics of human intelligence to evaluate the smartest machines, such as Watson, AlphaZero, virtual assistants, and self-driving cars, as well as the most intelligent animals, including octopuses, dogs, dolphins, bees, and chimpanzees. Thagard's approach is neither a romantic celebration of nonhuman intelligence nor a skeptical dismissal of it. He addresses controversial topics such as animal consciousness, fish pain, and dog jealousy. He also assesses the feasibility of achieving human-level artificial intelligence and considers ethical and policy issues. Through his analysis, Thagard reveals that current bots and beasts fall far short of human capabilities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780262045940