MMA Learning Lab: Finding Human Intelligence in an Age of AI with Rich Blundell

"Finding Human Intelligence in an Age of AI" celebrates Maria Mitchell as the perfect example of human intelligence that no artificial system can replicate. Using Mitchell's 1847 comet discovery as the central story, the talk explores what made her extraordinary—not raw computational power, but years of patient observation that built deep pattern recognition through her intimate relationship with the night sky.

 

As we face questions about AI's capabilities, Mitchell's story reveals why human intelligence remains irreplaceable: we learn through embodied experience with the natural world in ways that create genuine understanding, not just data processing. This talk positions Mitchell as a pioneering example of the kind of Earth-connected intelligence we need to cultivate today, making her legacy directly relevant to contemporary audiences wondering what makes humans unique in an age of smart machines.