The Other AI

[Mike Nickerson]

The Other AI

With all the fuss over Artificial Intelligence, the original AI, Animate Intelligence, is overlooked.

Animate Intelligence engineers the unfolding of all life.

Picture a tree bud.  As Spring advances, it shows a bit of green.  That green shoot expands with the season until tiny leaves emerge and continue growing to their full size.  Imagine taking carbon from the air, water, some trace soil minerals, and sunlight and making something as intricate as a leaf — an effective solar collector that can track the Sun and which has a circulatory system to care for itself and to supply the plant of which it is a part.

Yet, when I suggested that this was the accomplishment of a powerful intelligence, my 11-year-old grandson said: 

“A leaf !  . . .  A leaf ! ! . . .”  As if to say, How could there be intelligence in a leaf.

Yes, a leaf.  Each one of the trillions of leaves, and every plant, insect, animal, and every one of us is grown and maintained by Animate Intelligence.

Some time back, a traveller gifted me with a large nut.  As a woodworker, I appreciated that the shell was wooden.  One could see that it included gently curving veins that likely nourished the seed as it grew.  It was far more intricate woodwork than I have ever seen a human produce.  Only recently have I realized that it was the creative work of Animate Intelligence.

Another clue is a tiny insect which, from time to time, lands on my page when I’m reading.  Little more than a millimetre long and very thin, yet for millions of years its kind has successfully nourished themselves, grown and reproduced — the intelligence of life guiding their way. 

Over the billions of years that Animate Intelligence has been active, it has learned a lot.  Efforts in primordial chemistry led to the forming of complex chemicals.  When it figured out how to capture sunshine it was able to power countless other activities, such as sensitivities to gravity and light, the development of roots and leaves, and flowers, mobility, sight, smell, and brains.  Each step of the way it shared innovations amongst its creations and formed intricate symbiotic relations as it evolved. 

Indigenous teachings speak of kinship with all that lives.  In some of their languages, one cannot talk about one’s self without words that include the environmental context.  Such a perspective grows as we acknowledge the Animate Intelligence that we all share.  With this common creative force in mind, a feeling of kinship with the rest of the natural world can easily follow.  And with that, the inclination to care emerges.

As one recognizes the Animate Intelligence active all around, the possibility to secure humankind’s future increases.  Every time one looks at a plant or animal and recognizes the AI that activates its life process, one can reflect on how the same AI digests our food, heals our wounds, and refreshes our bodies and brains when we sleep.

Artificial Intelligence is the latest big jump in computer technology, touted as being orders of magnitude “smarter” than the last best thing, which was marvellously greater than the generation before, as was the generation before that and so on back to calculators the size of a carry-on bag.  

The available computing power is impressive, yes, but when will it be smart enough to give us a convincing answer to the question about growing forever on a finite planet?  A friend whose entire career was spent teaching elementary school children said that her grade 5 students could answer the question, but that it took until Grade 7 for them to understand it.

When our amazing technology gets to be as smart as Grade Seven students, it will be impressive and worthy of our awe and wonder.  Until then, our best bet will be to recognize, respect and work with Animate Intelligence.

Related material: 

The Wisdom of Plants

Creative Force

To Be Alive and Well; It’s Easier Than You Think

We have uncovered a few more boxes of my book Life, Money and Illusion: Living on Earth as if We Want to Stay if you are interested in a copy.

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