Humans are remarkable beings. Thanks to their abstract reasoning skills, complex societies and opposable thumbs, they have become the undisputable apex predator and have thoroughly reshaped the face of this planet. We like to think of ourselves as intelligent, rational beings. However, this idea is often disproven. We are terrible at risk assessment, have numerous biases and are susceptible to conspiracy theories. It is hard to convince us ‘rational’ beings, often even with solid evidence.

On to the machines then. They are free of emotional ties and rely exclusively on cold, hard data. Surely they will succeed where we can’t? Indeed, frequently, artificial intelligence can outperform trained experts at certain tasks. Yet they currently lack some defining human traits, like empathy and creativity. So what is it that makes a being ‘intelligent’? Can we teach a computer morality and creativity?

Join us in our search for answers (and additional questions) in this Salon!