I sometimes consider this topic. I would phrase it “How can
intelligence generally be categorized?” Ideally we would be able to
measure and categorize the intelligence level of anything; for example
rocks, bacterium, eco-systems, suns, algorithms (AI), aliens that are
smarter than humans.
Intelligence appears to be related to the level of abstraction that
can be managed. This is roughly what is captured in the OP’s list.
Higher levels of abstraction allow an intelligence to integrate input
from broader or more complex contexts, to model and to respond to
those contexts.
The level of intelligence will be very context dependent. There may
not be a single way to rank intelligence, but many, each focused on
different specific contexts.
When tool use comes into play, it may be hard to separate the
intelligence built into the tool, from the intelligence of the
tool user. It may not always be clear where the tool ends and the
tool user begins.
I fully agree. There are many aspects of intelligence.
The reason I choose this categorization, given it is valid, is to highlight the aspect of intelligence that is relevant to ethics.
I think only a level-3 intelligence can be a moral agent. An intelligence that has an innate goal does not need to and cannot bother itself with moral questions.
I sometimes consider this topic. I would phrase it “How can intelligence generally be categorized?” Ideally we would be able to measure and categorize the intelligence level of anything; for example rocks, bacterium, eco-systems, suns, algorithms (AI), aliens that are smarter than humans.
Intelligence appears to be related to the level of abstraction that can be managed. This is roughly what is captured in the OP’s list. Higher levels of abstraction allow an intelligence to integrate input from broader or more complex contexts, to model and to respond to those contexts.
The level of intelligence will be very context dependent. There may not be a single way to rank intelligence, but many, each focused on different specific contexts.
When tool use comes into play, it may be hard to separate the intelligence built into the tool, from the intelligence of the tool user. It may not always be clear where the tool ends and the tool user begins.
I fully agree. There are many aspects of intelligence.
The reason I choose this categorization, given it is valid, is to highlight the aspect of intelligence that is relevant to ethics.
I think only a level-3 intelligence can be a moral agent. An intelligence that has an innate goal does not need to and cannot bother itself with moral questions.