Intelligence as information processing: brains, swarms, and computers

TL;DR

This paper proposes an information-based framework to compare and analyze different cognitive systems like brains, swarms, and computers, focusing on their organization rather than substrate, to understand intelligence's nature and evolution.

Contribution

It introduces an informationist epistemology to measure and compare the organization of diverse cognitive systems, clarifying the brain-computer analogy and discussing intelligence's evolution.

Findings

Information-based measures can compare cognitive systems.

The brain-computer analogy has context-dependent usefulness.

Evolution and ecology influence intelligence organization.

Abstract

There is no agreed definition of intelligence, so it is problematic to simply ask whether brains, swarms, computers, or other systems are intelligent or not. To compare the potential intelligence exhibited by different cognitive systems, I use the common approach used by artificial intelligence and artificial life: Instead of studying the substrate of systems, let us focus on their organization. This organization can be measured with information. Thus, I apply an informationist epistemology to describe cognitive systems, including brains and computers. This allows me to frame the usefulness and limitations of the brain-computer analogy in different contexts. I also use this perspective to discuss the evolution and ecology of intelligence.