The modern human brain emerged about 100,000 years ago. Some researchers think the next potential breakthrough could be artificial superintelligence, transforming intelligence from biological to digital. Understanding how our minds have evolved so far can help us decide which aspects of intelligence to keep, discard, or improve upon.
A Long Evolution
To come to grips with our current brainpower, we have to cover about four billion years and five major breakthroughs. One of those breakthroughs was emotions, which evolved to solve problems faced by early brains. Another breakthrough, mentalizing, helped animals understand others’ intentions and knowledge. Learn more about the links and divergences between brains and AI in our latest Instaread.
