LONGER-The Intelligence Illusion
The Intelligence Illusion Why Machines Cannot Become Human Rahul Ramya 8 Febt 2025 At a crowded traffic signal in Bengaluru, a young man waits astride a food-delivery motorcycle. The red light stretches longer than usual. The digital box mounted behind him flashes a corporate promise: fast, efficient, intelligent. Beneath the helmet is a graduate trained in engineering—someone who once studied thermodynamics, feedback systems, and control theory. Today, his role is simpler and harsher: obey the instructions of an algorithm. The application on his phone decides which road he takes, how long he may pause, how his “performance” is scored, and whether his day’s labour will be rewarded or penalised. The system prides itself on intelligence. Yet it does not know why he slows near a school, why he avoids a certain alley after sunset, or why stopping for a moment to help an injured stranger may cost him his incentive but save a life. The machine measures speed. The human navigates meanin...