NPR

Is The Concern Artificial Intelligence — Or Autonomy?

At the end of the day, even the smartest computers are tools, our tools, and their intentions are our intentions — to the extent that we can speak of their intentions at all, says blogger Alva Noë.
Source: Getty Images/iStockphoto

There's a provocative interview with the philosopher Daniel Dennett in Living on Earth.

The topic is Dennett's latest book — From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds — and his idea that Charles Darwin and Alan Turing can be credited, in a way, with the same discovery: that you don't need comprehension to achieve competence.

Darwin showed

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Federal Prosecutors Request 40-year Sentence For Man Who Attacked Pelosi's Husband
Prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a 40-year prison sentence for the man who broke into ex-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home seeking to hold her hostage and attacked her husband.
NPR4 min read
New 'Doctor Who' Star Ncuti Gatwa Feels 'Sad' For Critics Of Show's Diversity
Gatwa is the first Black man and the first person born outside the U.K. to play The Doctor. He's candid about how his own life has influenced his take on the role — and about his critics.
NPR11 min read
Kenya's Samburu Boys Share A Sacred Bond. Why One Teen Broke With The Brotherhood
After initiation rites – including circumcision – the boys leave their families to take charge of the herds, driving them high into the mountains. It's a way of life that climate change is testing.

Related Books & Audiobooks