Artificial Intelligence and Inference to the Best Explanation: Can a Machine Have the Same Level of Intelligence as Humans?

Authors
Javad Akbari Takhtameshlou 1
Ali Farzan 2
1 Sharif University of Technology
2 Sharif University
10.61186/mi.5.1.188
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now permeating most aspects of human life, making it necessary to study and assess it from various perspectives, including philosophical ones. A philosophical question in this regard is: Is it possible for AI to reach or even exceed the level of natural human intelligence? Are there any philosophical limitations or obstacles to AI that will basically prevent it from ever reaching such a level? This article aims to address such questions. Based on the article's discussions and results, AI, which has passed two waves so far in its development, in order to enter the third wave and become closer to natural human intelligence, requires the ability to perform a type of context-dependent inference known as "abduction" (also referred to as "inference based on the best explanation"). However, there is basically no clear horizon for the machine regarding this capacity because this type of inference is not formal and computational but rather a creative content-based inference. Indeed, the article comes to the conclusion that while machine intelligence can outperform humans in the purely formal-computational aspects of intelligence, it will never be able to match human intelligence in all aspects as long as it lacks the non-quantitative and non-formal capabilities that humans have, like ‘imagination’, ‘creativity’, ‘understanding’, ‘thinking’, ‘good sense’ and, above all, ‘consciousness’.


Keywords
Artificial (Machine) Intelligence
Natural (Human) Intelligence
Inference to the best explanation
Understanding
consciousness
Mind
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Metaphysical Research
Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 9
August 2024
Pages 188-211