(What Artificial Intelligence Can’t Do Yet)
Intelligence is humanity’s tool for solving problems. It is the total of abilities like thinking, reasoning, perceiving objective realities, understanding, judging, conceptualizing, and inferring. For academic success, three qualities among many stand out and become decisive: memory, abstract thinking, and analytical thinking. Those who possess these qualities pass the exams for good schools and achieve high academic success. When these young people become doctors and engineers, they technically become good doctors and good engineers. However, everyone has noticed in their life journey that academic success is not a good measure of life success. There is a fundamental reason for this: the intelligence needed for academic success is different from the intelligence needed for life success. Now let’s try to understand what this difference is.
Problems We Solve
We solve three types of problems. The first is simple problems. An example would be cooking recipes. There’s a recipe, it’s tested, and if the first try fails, it’s tried again, an expert is consulted, and eventually, the desired result is achieved. The second type is difficult problems. These are mostly solved by engineers. The design and functionality of all tools, ranging from ergonomic chairs to satellites placed in space, fall under this category and aim to make human life easier. The third type is complex problems. These are the types of problems that were once asked to advice columns like ‘Güzin Abla’ in Hürriyet newspaper (or Dear Abby in the US) and to consultants in professional life. For example: ‘My spouse and my mother hate each other; what should I do?’ Questions posed to psychologists like ‘How do I raise a good child?’ or ‘How do I maintain a good relationship?’ are also in this category. In the workplace, questions consultants face are similar: ‘Two departments that need to cooperate aren’t communicating; what should I do?’ or ‘How can I maintain engagement in my remote team?’ or ‘How do I resolve generational conflicts and create a harmonious working environment?’
Wisdom Intelligence
The type of intelligence needed to solve these kinds of problems is called wisdom intelligence. People with high wisdom intelligence have these traits: the ability to see from the other’s point of view, balancing different perspectives, accepting the limits of their knowledge and power (thus being humble), adapting to context, balancing various perspectives, recognizing opportunities for change, finding solutions to conflicts through compromise, and considering universal moral principles.
People with higher wisdom intelligence have higher life satisfaction, more stable careers, healthier and longer-term relationships and higher well-being. Moral stance and expectations also make a difference. Because people with this characteristic are aware of the impossibility of reaching absolute truth, the multiplicity and diversity of factors affecting life, and the positive and negative aspects of human nature. They also recognize and accept the uncertainty and unpredictability of life and react in a healthy way to survive death and loss, to endure pain and suffering, and to find meaning.
Wisdom intelligence usually develops in the fifties, but this is not the rule. Many people do not develop anywhere near this quality throughout their lives. In fact, the older they get, the more rigid and hardened they become. Context, culture and experiences are important in the development of this trait. However, wisdom intelligence is not a molecule that emerges at the age of fifty. With appropriate training and examples, it is possible to develop wisdom intelligence even in your twenties. Because this trait is a skill that can be developed rather than a talent.
How to develop it?
I have four methods in mind for developing this skill.
First, start at a young age by having children draw an object in groups. Then, engage them in a discussion about the differences in their drawings. Talk about in which other situations in life different perspectives are seen and thus get them to reflect on how different viewpoints and positions affect perception.
Second, after the age of thirteen, when abstract thinking begins, introduce philosophy education and lay the foundations of philosophical thinking. Help them understand that questioning what they learn is just as important as learning itself, and encourage them to reflect on dilemmas related to life and life events. For example, ‘If you saw a train about to kill five people and had a switch in your hand to divert the train to a track where only one person would die, would you change the switch?’ Many would say ‘yes’ because the outcome is better. Then comes the second question: ‘Imagine you are on a bridge and see the same accident happening. Would you push the fat man standing next to you onto the tracks to save five people?’ This time, because they would have to do it with their own hands and not through a tool, most people would say ‘no.
Engaging young people in these kinds of discussions encourages them to realize at an early age that fundamental moral issues cannot be evaluated based solely on benefit. This helps establish the understanding that justice is independent of functionality. As these young individuals assume responsible positions in the future, they won’t think ‘If it benefits me, it’s right,’ and they will begin to view justice separately from functionality. However, such questioning may create discomfort, and it could turn a person into a ‘bad citizen’ in the eyes of those holding power or even the majority. Yet, we must remember that all societal progress and advancements, such as women’s rights, the abolition of slavery, and equal citizenship, came about as a result of ideas that were initially uncomfortable.
The third method is to start taking young people, from the age of fourteen, to visit galleries and biennials of visual arts. During these visits, they should be encouraged to reflect in front of abstract works, guided by an expert. When asked what abstract works mean, the common answer is, ‘Whatever you understand.’ This is not a realistic approach because expecting someone without artistic education to assign meaning to numerous works as they pass by is unreasonable. Without the contribution of a guide or expert, most people standing in front of abstract paintings or sculptures find them ‘meaningless’ and think, ‘Is this what they call art?’ or ‘They call this art?’ However, touring an art gallery or biennial with an expert allows a person to discover another world through the work they could not initially interpret. In this way, the individual steps outside their own perspective and embarks on a journey within their inner world through the eyes of the artist. Conceptual art—whether in the form of painting, sculpture, or installation—is a unique space for discovering different perspectives and going beyond the world one sees.
What artificial intelligence cannot (yet) do
We have yet to hear from artificial intelligence the advice that agony aunt Dear Abby, the cure-all for everyone’s troubles in the US in the last century, gave to the couple who wouldn’t go to bed with their spouse. “If you argue on the basis of a single event, you will either clash or agree. You can clash and stay resentful for a while and then make up and have a hot night and think that for once you have solved the problem. But if you adopt and internalize the principle of being sensitive and respectful to each other’s needs, you will not have to resolve conflict every time. If you don’t choose this path, in daily life every situation turns into a decision and every decision turns into conflict. Over time, you start to reduce your communication to avoid conflict and silence dominates your relationship. First screens are separated, then beds and rooms. So instead of resolving conflicts as they arise, communicate openly about your expectations, needs and boundaries. The compromise you build will prevent future conflicts and allow you to step outside your own perspective. Showing that you care about what your partner cares about, rather than superficially understanding them, is a sign of a real connection, and the quality of your relationship will depend on the depth of the connection, not on how long you have been together. If you achieve this, you will live happily for many years.
Conclusion
Today, technology and psychology intersect with every task and topic. There is no field where technology and psychology are not interconnected. In our previous article, we discussed how artificial general intelligence will change the world we live in, but despite the major innovations and possibilities artificial general intelligence brings to human life, it is not yet mature enough to solve complex problems with the intuition and experience that humans possess.
