Beyond the artificial: can water be considered intelligent? How we answer this question will determine whether the future AI will be humancentric

ABSTRACT

This editorial highlights the importance of recognizing the intelligence present in nature and its potential influence on AI development. A notable concern articulated here is the potential for AI to internalize not only our biases but also our arrogance. As humanity diligently strives to develop self-aware AI, the aspiration for this AI must be to embody the inclusive and benevolent qualities found in nature rather than manifesting self-centered attributes akin to humans. Without this, achieving true self-aware and human-centric AI will remain a fleeting goal despite it being the ultimate objective.

Acknowledgments

I thank all my colleagues at UW-Green Bay who provided valuable feedback on the various drafts of this editorial, including Zhuoli Axelton, Kevin Jaklin, Holly Keener, EJ Kwak, JP Leary, Ray Parth, David Voelker, Georjeanna Wilson-Donges, and Dinesh Yadav.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gaurav Bansal

Dr. Gaurav Bansal is Frederick E. Baer Professor in Business, a full professor of MIS / Statistics, and chair of the Business Administration department at the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business at UW-Green Bay. He is also a distinguished member (cum laude) of the Association for Information Systems (AIS). Dr Bansal is the past president of the Midwest Association for Information Systems (MWAIS) and served as the Founding Chair and Academic Director of the Master of Science in Data Science program at UW-Green Bay. He serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research (JITCAR). He is also on the editorial review board for several journals, such as AIS Transactions for Human-Computer Interaction (AIS THCI), Journal of Computer Information Systems (JCIS), Journal of Global IT Management (JGITM), and Journal of Midwest AIS. Dr. Bansal has published in premier MIS journals such as the Journal of Management Information Systems, the European Journal of Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, Information & Management, The DATABASE for Advancement in Information Systems, Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, Journal of IT & People, and Journal of Computer Information Systems, among others.