The Future of AI Lies in Monkeys, Not Microchips?

Neuroscience research on primates will help us learn how to build an efficient thinking machine.

Excerpt: "The artificial-intelligence boom has all the hallmarks of a gold rush: frenzied investment, sweeping promises and a race to build ever-bigger models. But behind the hype lies a remarkable shortsightedness—one that threatens AI’s promise to transform our world.

AI systems, including the most powerful large language models, rely on computational force. Despite their apparent sophistication, these models don’t understand the world; they merely identify statistical patterns in massive data sets. They can’t form abstract concepts, adapt to unfamiliar environments or learn from sparse information the way a human toddler can. They function only with enormous hardware, constant access to vast training data, and unsustainable amounts of electrical power.

The human brain runs on 20 watts of power—less than a lightbulb. Yet it consistently outperforms AI in the forms of intelligence we care about most: abstraction, reasoning, creativity and social understanding (people skills). To match the computational power of a single human brain, a leading AI system would require the same amount of energy that powers the entire city of Dallas. Let that sink in for a second. One lightbulb versus a city of 1.3 million people. Do we even need to calculate how much power would be needed for 1.3 million models to grasp how unrealistic that would be?"