Scientists launch a game to map human intelligence

In a short time and with very few instructions, we can solve complex problems from scratch, for example, filling the trunk of a car with a load that is apparently excessive for the available space. This is the essence of human intelligence – its fast and flexible nature. But what is the mental process that allows us to create new and complex strategies? What about “smart” machines, do they use similar processes or are they fundamentally different?

To answer these questions, scientists at the Champalimaud Center in Lisbon, Portugal and the University of California, Berkeley, created hexxed – a mobile game that consists of a series of challenging and fun puzzles that was designed to provide a unique view about how intelligence works. The app is free and has versions compatible with iphone and android .

Taking science out of the lab

“ Hexxed joins a global trend of so-called citizen science games – where, when playing, individuals around the world can contribute to scientific discoveries,” says Gautam Agarwal, one of the scientists who developed the game as part of his project research in the laboratory led by Zachary Mainen, at the Champalimaud Foundation.

What is the reason for taking these experiments out of the laboratory? According to Agarwal, online games are the ideal way to obtain data sets, diversified and large enough to allow exploring difficult questions, among them – how do age and cultural background influence different ways of thinking?

“Experiments in the laboratory environment have a limited number of subjects and are generally repetitive and boring. On the other hand, online games can be played by an unlimited number of people, anywhere in the world, and lead players to total surrender and participation, as if immersed in a constant cadence of new and evolving experiences ”.

Humans vs. Machines (the case of intelligence)

In the future, the team plans to use the game to learn not only about human intelligence, but also about machine intelligence, taking the diversity of the collected data to another level. Mattia Bergomi, a researcher involved in the study, says that video games are commonly used to test the ability of artificial intelligence to handle complex environments and tasks, but often fall short of expectations.

“Most games fall into one of two categories,” he explains. “On the one hand, there are challenging games that can only be solved with complex strategies. This results in problem-solving approaches that are difficult to formulate mathematically and therefore difficult to compare between different players. On the other hand, there are simple games that can be easily described mathematically. But these are not challenging enough to require the creation of intelligent problem-solving schemes. ”

The hexxed was developed to bridge the gap between these two extremes is quite challenging, but still can be described by a simple mathematical constructions. “This unique design will allow us to compare, in a systematic and comprehensive way, the strategies adopted by humans with those generated by machines”, adds Agarwal.

Let the games begin!

So, what is intelligence and how does it differ between humans and machines? Play hexxed and the answer may become clear.

W: https://hexxed.io

Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/