What Is So-Called Artificial Intelligence? How Is It Different from Human Intelligence?

When we hear the term “artificial intelligence,” many people imagine something mysterious. Some fear it. Others see it as a universal solution. But to me, the reality seems far less exciting—at least not in terms of its potential impact on the world, but rather in terms of how it actually works.

At its core, artificial intelligence is applied mathematics. Quite often, it’s nothing more than applying the basic ‘times tables’ of statistics — processing data and calculating probabilities.

It works by processing many examples of something and identifying what tends to repeat. For example: analyzing a large set of pictures of stones, and calculating the probability that a new picture also shows a stone.

How is artificial intelligence different from human intelligence?

AI doesn’t recognize the world the way humans do. It doesn’t understand it through practical experience. It calculates the probability that something is this or that. But how does a human understand what a stone is? First and foremost, by using it—for hunting and protection in the Stone Age, for processing meat, making tools, and so on. A human understands a stone as something useful for something else—as a tool. We use it even before we explicitly name it!

A human tries to survive and live in a way that seems good—and on that path, they come to know the world. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, has data and code. It applies statistics and logic to give us an output. It applies math. If we simplify it: it’s still just a calculator.

That doesn’t mean it can’t do powerful, helpful, and potentially dangerous things. But let’s not give it attributes it doesn’t deserve.

If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop me a message at mail@richardgolian.com.