The Human Intelligence Podcast AI vs Human Intelligence: What’s the Real Difference? A conversation with Gilles Gignac
Sep 22, 2025
In this captivating discussion, Gilles Gignac, an associate professor in psychological science specializing in psychometrics, delves into what defines intelligence—arguing it's about solving novel problems at maximal capacity. He contrasts true intelligence with mere achievement and explores how AI can be benchmarked against human capabilities. Gignac emphasizes redefining AI through psychometric methods, advocating for concise benchmarks that enable fair comparisons with humans. This conversation offers fresh insights into the evolving definitions of intelligence.
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Intelligence As Maximal Novel Capacity
- Intelligence is a maximal capacity to achieve a novel goal using perceptual cognitive processes under good conditions.
- Gignac argues novelty and maximal performance distinguish intelligence from typical behavior and skill.
AI Definition Mirrors Human One
- Gignac gives an operational AI definition matching the human one but replacing perceptual processes with computational algorithms.
- The only formal difference he sees is substrate: biological versus computational processing.
Same Output, Different Processes
- Identical outputs (correct answers) can arise from different processes in humans and AI.
- Gignac suggests differing processes don't negate performance but raise whether AI exhibits the same kind of intelligence.