From artificial to organic: Rethinking the roots of intelligence for digital health

TL;DR

This paper argues that artificial intelligence in digital health is fundamentally rooted in organic biological principles, emphasizing the interconnectedness and shared origins of natural and artificial intelligence.

Contribution

It challenges the traditional dichotomy between artificial and organic intelligence, highlighting their conceptual and functional overlaps in digital health.

Findings

AI principles are inspired by human neurobiology.

The boundary between artificial and organic intelligence is blurred.

Organizational and adaptive aspects are key to AI development.

Abstract

The term artificial implies an inherent dichotomy from the natural or organic. However, AI, as we know it, is a product of organic ingenuity: designed, implemented, and iteratively improved by human cognition. The very principles that underpin AI systems, from neural networks to decision-making algorithms, are inspired by the organic intelligence embedded in human neurobiology and evolutionary processes. The path from organic to artificial intelligence in digital health is neither mystical nor merely a matter of parameter count, it is fundamentally about organization and adaption. Thus, the boundaries between artificial and organic are far less distinct than the nomenclature suggests.