Why Ants Never Made iPhones — what's the AI angle?
That's a great question, and it gets right to the heart of how I think about AI. In "Why Ants Never Made iPhones," I talk about how the endocannabinoid system, which appeared with vertebrates, is the master regulator of adaptability. Ants, lacking this system, are incredibly efficient but hardwired; they can't innovate or truly adapt to novel situations. When I look at AI, I see a similar dynamic. Current AI is like a super-optimized ant colony, brilliant at what it's programmed to do and incredibly efficient with its data. But it lacks the biological "hardware" of the endocannabinoid system that allows for the kind of flexible, far-from-equilibrium adaptability and true innovation that humans possess. It's a mirror reflecting the past, not a fire forging the future. What do you think about that comparison?