AI Rebels

What is Intelligence? Ft. Michael Timothy Bennett

Jacob and Spencer Season 3 Episode 5

Do we even know what intelligence is? Michael dives into his wild journey from video games and music to pioneering AI research, revealing how his 'inactive cognition' theory flips conventional wisdom on its head. He challenges the old-school notion of computational dualism by insisting that intelligence isn’t just software on hardware—but an inseparable blend of both. By leveraging rigorous mathematical formalism, Michael explains how shifting from complex, additive models to lean, ‘weak constraints’ can unlock AI’s true adaptability and safety, with far-reaching impacts from academia to legal personhood. This candid, no-holds-barred discussion is a must-watch for anyone ready to rethink what intelligence means in the AI era.