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Superintelligence, heuristics and embodied threats

Author

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  • Antonio Mastrogiorgio

    (University of Rome “Unitelma Sapienza”)

  • Riccardo Palumbo

    (“G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara)

Abstract

The superintelligence debate raises the issue of the existential risk for human civilization posed by superintelligent artificial systems, which, in the long term, could surpass human intelligence. This debate, focusing on the computational dimension of intelligence, overlooks the current trends in behavioral sciences and bio-inspired robotics, emphasizing that cognition is embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended, and works through interactions with the environment. In this contribution, we discuss the potential threat arising from a near-future generation of cheap-but-effective artificial systems that are computationally poor but can enact intelligent behaviors through their embodied interactions with the environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonio Mastrogiorgio & Riccardo Palumbo, 2025. "Superintelligence, heuristics and embodied threats," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 24(1), pages 109-123, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:minsoc:v:24:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s11299-025-00317-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11299-025-00317-0
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