New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Max Bennett, "A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, Ai, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains" (Mariner Books, 2023)
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Apr 1, 2024 Max Bennett, an AI entrepreneur and neuroscientist, discusses the evolution of nervous systems from tiny worms to modern AI. The podcast explores how AI has mimicked neural networks and the connection between human brains and AI architecture. The framework of five breakthroughs in brain evolution is compared to technological innovation, highlighting the similarities between new brain capabilities and new skills in mammals.
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First Breakthrough: Steering
- The first breakthrough in brain evolution was steering, enabling navigation towards food and away from predators.
- This emerged with the first bilaterians, which are symmetric across a central plane.
Associative Learning
- The first form of learning, associative learning, involved tweaking valence (goodness or badness) based on experience.
- Nematodes, for example, learn to avoid salt if previously exposed to it while hungry.
Thorndike's Puzzle Boxes
- Thorndike's puzzle box experiments with cats revealed trial-and-error learning, not insight or imitation.
- This led to the 'law of effect': reinforcing successful behaviors and punishing unsuccessful ones.