The Other AI: Animal Intelligence

Futurists spend a lot of time discussing AI, artificial intelligence. We do that because AI occupies a major role in the narrative of human progress. AI, like steam, electricity, and the printing press, is expected to be one of the pivotal touch points in human history. 

AI has been evolving for decades to reach this point. Yet all this time, we have been surrounded by a more subtle form of intelligence, the other AI: Animal Intelligence. There are significant signals suggesting the rise of animal intelligence is a sustainability trend to monitor.

Regenerative Design

The arrival of new tech like algorithmic "ecological programming" to design skyscrapers capable of restoring biodiversity and and cooling urban spaces is hopeful and exciting. Designs using optimized architecture leverages data, like temperature and soil conditions, to understand nature. This strategy proves the feasibility of AI (artificial intelligence) as a tool to live sustainably while simultaneously tapping into the other AI (the intelligence in animals and other living things). 

To achieve sustainable practices, we can also study indigenous practices to learn how to live  more symbiotically. History has examples of humans, preserving and regenerating nature instead of depleting it.  Vernacular architecture is opening up new worlds of design and sustainability choices drawn from deep human heritage.

The Human-Animal Heirarchy

Recently, bonobos in the wild were observed noticing humans acting unaware, and attempting to offer help. The ability to detect the mental states of others signals an advanced intelligence. Similarly, Google is studying dolphin vocalizations to understand how they communicate. What would other animals tell us, especially mammals with symbolic and social structures like language, if we could understand? Could their words unlock for us the secrets to living sustainably with nature? It may be that solutions occurring outside of the human experience are waiting to be discovered. Would such discoveries threaten the animal-human hierarchy? It may sound far-fetched (in Foresight, we call it a weak signal), but a recent report published by the European Commission, Risks on the Horizon, identified the end of human dominance as an emerging risk to modern society, noting additionally that, "If AI surpasses human capabilities it could shift power dynamics." 

Can the sustainability movement benefit from animal intelligence? We know that the old AI is helping us build more regeneratively, such as through AI optimized architecture. But the biggest difference between today and a sustainable future where animal intelligence plays a significant role would involve a healthier planet, higher quality of life through nature, and restoration of biodiversity leading to vast benefits for human health and development. And the best part is that this AI comes with zero (ok, fewer?) existential risks. What we have to gain from embracing Animal Intelligence is momentous in terms of moving toward a greater understanding of human systems as integral to natural systems on Earth.

Photo by Reagan Freeman on Unsplash