TED Talks Daily cover image

TED Talks Daily

Can AI match the human brain? | Surya Ganguli

Mar 7, 2025
Surya Ganguli, a neuroscientist and Stanford professor, delves into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, AI, and physics. He argues that as AI advances, it must be understood through the lens of human cognition to truly unlock its potential. Ganguli discusses the evolutionary paths of human and artificial intelligence, emphasizing the gaps in AI's reasoning capabilities. He also advocates for academia’s role in fostering open scientific inquiry to enhance our understanding of both human brains and AI systems.
16:57

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The integration of neuroscience, AI, and physics is essential for creating AI systems that can mimic and enhance human cognition.
  • Exploring explainable AI through digital twins of biological systems may lead to significant advances in understanding the brain's function and efficiency.

Deep dives

Understanding Intelligence Through a Historical Lens

To comprehend artificial intelligence (AI) thoroughly, it is essential to examine the evolution of biological intelligence. The speaker highlights that the journey of human intelligence began with ancient vertebrates, which laid the foundation for advanced cognitive functions over millions of years. In just 500 years, humanity has developed complex mathematical and scientific principles, underscoring the immense efficiency of human learning compared to AI's current dependency on vast data sets. By integrating various fields such as physics, psychology, and neuroscience, there lies potential to enhance our understanding of both biological intelligence and the creation of more advanced AI systems.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode