Intelligence is important to my sense of self
That I am able to analyze and solve problems
And make correct assumptions
But I am fallible
Humans in their ignorance
Thought that animals have only instincts
A misconception now disproved
Though the definition of intelligence is fungible
Some would point to certain trees
Or slime mold or other plants and fungi
And even bacteria
To say that a brain is not required
No doubt we are not aware
Of so much that other species sense
But we have culture as collective intelligence
That is our superpower
Now there are neural network machines
That seem to think and reason
And answer any question
With credible information
I was wrong to dismiss them
As essentially simple prediction algorithms
As if prediction is not what I do
Based on what I know and remember
The machines make mistakes
As do humans
Often the result of mistaken information
Provided by humans
We do not fully understand human intelligence
Or how these machines operate
But the evidence suggests
Theirs is a form of intelligence
