Customer Reviews

QI: The Quest for Intelligence

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A book that doesn't so much define as begin to redefine the definition and parameters of human, animal and machine intellgence.

Mr. Warwick compares and touches on all three entities' capabilities, functions and consciousness but does not denote one group over the other. And further breaks down intelligence by narrower aspects ie nature vs nuture, evolution, testing, abnormalities, culture, gender, etc and their findings. Amongst his many points, he states that intelligence defined in a single dimension is inconclusive and should rather be measured in multi-dimensional planes or a full hemisphere to show a more accurate representation of different types of intellgence and its overall bearing on an entity. In his opinion, it is unfair or irrelevant to make any type of comparison or judgements based on one-dimensional IQ tests between genders, or different ethnicities since these tests are usually culturally biased. And the ramificaitions of doing so have been shown in the past. He speculates on the possible scope of AI (animal and/or artificial intelligence) and in doing so illustrates that there is so much we don't know nor can fathom by being human and not having the same perspective of the other entities.

Personally, I enjoyed this book that reads more like a long essay than a novel. I give Mr. Warwick credit for drawing up arguments that in the past has been dismissed due to ego and ignorance. His conclusions on what the world may be like when machines can compete against humans on more than one plane draws a sinsiter and maybe unpleasant future but the development of science and technology also paves way for a hybrid of human and machine intellgence that may help in the cause.