Beyond IQ Diving into the World of Intelligence in Humans and AI

The concept of intelligence is controversial, differing in what skills it possesses, and whether it is quantifiable or not. A group of academic researchers in fields associated with intelligence testing have agreed on the following definition:

Intelligence involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience.

AI can be defined by applying this definition and abilities to machines, although no officially agreed description exists. However, it is mainly said that AI is the field of studying intelligent agents. Therefore, firstly we have to talk about what an agent and an intelligent agent are.

An agent is just something that perceives and acts. In other words, anything that can be seen as perceiving its environment through sensors and acting upon it through actuators is an agent.

We live in our environment and receive information through our five senses (sensors). We process this information and act by using our body parts (actuators), for example, moving our hands. The voice assistant on your phone is an example of an agent too. It receives your voice through the microphone and acts by dialing a number or searching and browsing a web page that you have ordered.

An intelligent agent acts in a way to maximize its performance measure, given the information provided by what it receives from the environment and whatever built-in knowledge it has.

Agents are categorized into four categories based on their actions and thinking, whether they act and think humanly or rationally. It might be surprising at first why we separate thinking and acting humanly from thinking and acting rationally. Don't humans always think and act rationally? The answer is No! They do not act and think rationally necessarily! 

Human-Acting Agents: This category is all about imitation. Agents that fall into this category are designed to mimic human actions and behaviors. It's like putting a robot in a play and expecting the audience not to realize it's not a human. If a machine can convince humans, it's human just by conversing, it's said to be acting humanly. Picture a chatbot that you're talking to, and if you walk away feeling like you just chatted with a real person, that bot was acting humanly.

Human-Thinking Agents: This is about diving deep into our brains and how we think. Agents in this category don't just want to act like humans; they want to think like us too. They're modeled after human cognition, trying to replicate our mental processes. Imagine a robot trying to solve a problem and pondering it, wrestling with options, considering feelings, and perhaps even getting a little uncertain at times, just like a human would.

Rational-Acting Agents: This isn't about thinking or acting like a human but about making the most optimal decision. These agents are designed to achieve the best outcome, even if it's not how a human might do it. If there's uncertainty involved, these agents aim for the best-expected outcome. It's like when streaming platforms suggest shows to watch. They aren't thinking or acting like humans; they're calculating what will most likely appeal to you based on algorithms and maximizing utility.

Rational-Thinking Agents: Now, this is about reasoning. These agents don't just act—they think rationally. Using logical reasoning, they deduce the best actions. It's less about imitating human thought and more about pure, unemotional logic. Think of it as a courtroom lawyer in a machine—using evidence, facts, and logical reasoning to deduce conclusions without getting swayed by emotions or biases. If humans sometimes let feelings cloud judgment, these agents keep the skies of their decision-making process clear and sunny.

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