Intelligence is The Ability to Find a Path

While the video above is interesting and informative, it got me thinking about “intelligence.”

One way to define INTELLIGENCE could be: The ability to find a path.

Now, whether it’s “traditional search” or “Quantum search,” the objective is the same: Navigate through complexity.

→ Traditional search takes a methodical, step-by-step approach, exploring possibilities ONE AT A TIME.

→ Quantum search, however, uses “quantum superposition” to INSTANTLY test multiple routes AT ONCE.

But beyond just the obvious speed advantage, I think the very concept of “Quantum Search” can teach us a valuable lesson:

The power of parallel thinking —the ability to consider multiple possibilities at the same time— and how that can transform problem-solving.

So, what’s the real takeaway?

👉 When you’re faced with tough problems, training yourself to look at multiple paths simultaneously might just be the key to moving forward faster (and smarter).

Clearly, this video inspired me beyond its initial purpose 😊.

Now, do I believe “my definition” of intelligence is the ONLY one?

Of course not!

When I originally published this brief thought, someone even argued:

Of course, the trick that hasn’t been worked out is how to tell WHICH of the infinite simultaneously possible answers is the correct one…. Sounds good in theory though…

To what I replied:

By that definition “intelligence” becomes “certainty.”

And I get the temptation: “Being right” often looks like/signals “intelligence.”

But I’d argue the OUTCOME is only as good as the PROCESS it’s build on.

In complex domains and realities, it’s the PROCESS that counts – the ability to MAP options, WEIGHT them fast, and CHOOSE well under uncertainty.

“Accuracy” ISN’T the starting point. It’s the RESULT of navigating paths intelligently.

We can’t guarantee outcome.

But we can train ourselves to maximize the process that gets us there. To being right more often than we’re wrong.

→ Think in Paths x Think Probabilistically.

To your success,

Gaetan Portaels

AND HERE IS THE FULL TRANSCRIPT FROM THE VIDEO:

In a normal search, an agent tries to search every path randomly to reach the destination. And once found, we can’t claim that the path it found was the shortest until it’s visited the entire search space. 

However, with quantum search, you start with just one agent. But whenever the agent encounters multiple paths, it sends one agent to each new path. This allows us to search much more quickly. 

The twist in the situation is that all the agents that you see in the screen are just one single agent in multiple places. This phenomenon is known as quantum superposition. 

At the end, when we find the solution, all the other agents disappear. And the real existence of the agent is at the destination.It’s strange, but that’s how quantum computers are going to work. 

When we compare agents, we can see that quantum computers can easily win, even with an increase in problem size. The complexity of the problem for a quantum computer will be linear.