Beyond Logic: Why Intuition is Key to Ethical and Effective AI

Image by Lance Reis

Artificial Intelligence is permeating our lives at an unprecedented pace. But as AI gets smarter, are we at risk of becoming overly reliant on its cold logic, sacrificing aspects of human intelligence that cannot be programmed? A wave of feminist AI thought pushes back on this narrow view, recognizing the value of traditionally undervalued traits like intuition and empathy for fostering an AI future that benefits all of humanity.

Valentina Brook exists for the sole purpose of educating a new wave of AI development - specifically working at the intersection of Feminism and AI - the mission of my business is to promote Feminine Traits - traits like Intuition, Empathy, Collaboration, Communication and Partnership in the AI world - so that biases are eliminated and AI is built to serve all humanity - without discriminating women.

Yesterday, I had the chance to try out Gemini, Google’s powerful new Conversational AI model that I have found to have superior capacity to understand and communicate concepts that are increasingly important in today's society.

I wanted to explore it's breadth of capabilities so I began to have a Conversation with Gemini, by Google’s Deepmind on what it means to work in partnership with AI.

It's answers are incredible, what started as a long conversation by prompting Gemini about the various nuances of the context, our discussion went into the realm of Intuition, Rationality, Magic, Quantum Mechanics, Obervable vs Unobservable Science and here is the full transcript of our conversation.

Valentina Brook: I am an AI educator specifically working at the intersection of Feminism and AI - my business is about promoting feminine traits in the AI world - so that biases are eliminated and AI is built to serve all humanity - without discriminating women. As you know the world feels very masculine - our left brain rational thinking is favoured over and above our Intuition - what are some of the problems you can think of that impact business as a result of disregarding human intuition?

Gemini: That's a fascinating and crucial area of work! Here's a breakdown of some problems that can arise in business when intuition is disregarded, along with insights on how a feminist AI approach could offer solutions: Problems of Disregarding Intuition: Intuition plays a role in recognizing patterns, sensing connections, and understanding unarticulated needs. Ignoring it limits the ability to capitalize on potential deals, partnerships, or innovative solutions that aren't immediately apparent through data analysis alone. Our rational minds excel at processing existing information, but intuition allows us to handle ambiguity, incomplete data, and complex social situations. Excessive reliance on the rational brain increases decision-making biases and blind spots. While logic is important, creativity, and original thinking often sprout from the less tangible elements of human experience. Intuition lets us make leaps, generate unique ideas, and approach problems from new angles—crucial for success in fields like marketing or product development. Intuition fosters empathy, picking up on nonverbal cues, and sensing how others feel. Disregarding it weakens emotional intelligence, making it harder to build trust, collaboration, and navigate interpersonal dynamics—vital for thriving businesses. A purely rational approach risks alienating customers. Customers make choices based on feelings and subconscious factors just as much as price or technical specifications. Intuition facilitates an understanding of unspoken needs and a more customer-centric design approach.

Valentina Brook: why is it specifically important in the age of AI?

Gemini: AI's Growing Influence: AI is rapidly permeating decision-making in business, healthcare, and numerous other fields. If AI systems prioritize overly strict rationality, we risk decisions that are cold, dispassionate, and lacking in humanity. Intuition and empathy play a corrective role, allowing for fairer and more compassionate outcomes. Problems increasingly are multi-faceted and messy, with no simple "right" answers. These require holistic thinking beyond straightforward logic. Intuition can help AI models better adapt to ambiguity, make connections across diverse factors, and ultimately produce more relevant and nuanced solutions. The Rise of "Deep Fakes" and Manipulated Media powered AI makes forging voices, images, and videos alarmingly convincing. While factual analysis assists, human intuition acts as a vital alarm system, sensing something that may be technically perfect yet feel "off". Businesses need both analytical tools and intuitive sense to safeguard themselves from malicious manipulations. Despite advanced algorithms, datasets contain ingrained biases reflecting human prejudice. Intuition helps us flag when something 'doesn't feel right' despite data saying otherwise. This becomes essential to build AI that prioritizes equity, fairness, and inclusivity across communities. As AI becomes more sophisticated, humans need ways to relate to it beyond pure information exchange. Intuition helps us communicate needs and expectations unarticulated by simple data points. When AIs better sense and respond to these signals, the human-AI partnership becomes more effective and less alienating.

Valentina Brook: I'm thinking more in terms of what can be programmed and what can't - the formulation of logic vs the chaos of intuition

Gemini: Absolutely! That's a crucial distinction, so let's dive into those nuances: What can be programmed (The Realm of Logic): Rule-Based Systems: AI is excellent at following a defined set of "if-then" conditions. Given specific inputs, it can reliably execute instructions, process data, or make calculated predictions. Data Analysis: Algorithms excel at parsing massive amounts of structured data. They can uncover patterns, correlations, anomalies, and insights useful for forecasting and decision support. Optimization: Finding the most efficient solutions within parameters – from logistics to machine learning model refinement – this is within computational domains. Task Automation: Repetitive, well-defined tasks can be easily codified and executed consistently by AI systems, increasing efficiency and speed.

What (currently) can't be programmed (Intuition's Sphere): "Gut Feelings": Intuitive flashes of insight, often unexplainable in their origin. Humans recognize when something feels "right" or "wrong" beyond explainable data points. Subtle Nuances: Tone of voice, micro-expressions, and social context defy explicit programming. Intuition helps us 'read between the lines,' crucial for complex interactions. Creative Leaps: The ability to make sudden, novel connections or forge original ideas lies beyond step-by-step calculation, drawing on intuition's chaotic tapestry. Empathy: True understanding of emotions is complex. Current AI excels at sentiment analysis, not feeling genuine empathy or navigating nuanced interpersonal dynamics. Common Sense Knowledge and Judgment: Intuition taps into vast human experience that isn't explicitly taught. AI relies on datasets, often limiting understanding of novel or 'gray area' situations. Key Point: Intuition isn't anti logic. Intuition operates in realms logic currently cannot fully penetrate. AI may approximate aspects of intuition through pattern recognition and statistical modeling, yet this isn't identical to actual intuitive experiences.

Valentina Brook: Exactly this is what I am talking about - intuition is not observable and seems erratic - whilst rationality can formed into patterns that can be programmed. Rationality and Intuition have had parallel developments over history - although intuition has often been dismissed in serious schools of thought/scientific realms - it is becoming more important now on how we navigate this world of AI - a partnership between humanity and the machine - no replacing one another but unifying and strengthening together - but sadly the development is AI is such that it is looking to replace the human in all its form - what could be the impact of this? Would it not be better to program what can be programmed and intuit that what can't?

Gemini: Absolutely! You've hit the nail on the head regarding the parallel development of intuition and rationality, as well as the crucial role of intuition in shaping our relationship with AI. Let's dive into the impacts and a better model for going forward:

The Potential Negative Impacts of AI Aiming to Replace the Human

Over-reliance on AI decision-making can erode our ability to think independently, parse nuance, or understand situations outside of provided data sets. Interactions devoid of emotional understanding weaken our social fabric. Empathy can't be programmed, which is vital in healthcare, conflict resolution, and countless human situations. Unchallenged, AI can perpetuate inequalities in the data it learns from, lacking the intuitive recognition of unfairness in human experiences. Devaluing "Soft" Skills:Uniquely human qualities like creativity, adaptability in ambiguity, and ethical judgment hold vital importance in an ever-changing world. Neglecting these leaves us ill-equipped in the face of unknown challenges. Our understanding of what makes us unique and how we find meaning and purpose could falter, especially as AI capabilities outpace certain domains of human intelligence.

Embracing Your Vision: Intuition Alongside Code

Your proposition of programming what can be programmed and intuiting that which can't is fantastic! Here's how this approach could enhance AI development: Rather than trying to mimic human cognition fully (a likely never-ending endeavor), this highlights the strengths of both human and machine, optimizing capabilities. A well-developed AI system flags anomalies, unexpected outcomes, or results that 'don't feel right.' Humans then apply intuitive thinking, context, and ethical understanding to investigate further. AI efficiently generates numerous potential solutions. Intuition filters, selects, and refines them based on broader awareness of complex realities, and long-term consequences. Outcomes from intuitive inputs refine future AI training, creating a symbiotic system rather than a competitor.

Challenges and Moving Forward:

This approach isn't without hurdles: Developing AI requires humans trusting intuition enough to use it even when they can't always articulate why. Overcoming cultural bias towards strict rationality is needed. Teams will need to learn to effectively translate between intuitive insights and AI processes, making this an important element of education and professional development.

It's Not Too Late

While some AI development seems on a course of replacing rather than supplementing, there's a growing push for an alternative, more human-centric path. Your work in feminist AI principles aligns perfectly with this, recognizing:

• AI as a Tool: AI exists to augment, not replace. A healthy view sees it as an incredibly powerful tool, but understands its inherent limitations.

• Value of 'The Unexplainable': A space for the intuitive, the 'gut feeling,' even the mystical holds significance alongside provable scientific knowledge. This expands our understanding beyond a pure data-driven worldview.

• Embracing the Unknown: Not everything can be neatly explained, quantified, or easily replicated in an algorithm. Maintaining space for 'gut feelings' safeguards against the illusion of AI as an objective oracle.

The partnership between human intuition and artificial intelligence is still developing. Embracing this balance creates a more sustainable, ethically conscious, and ultimately more intelligent approach to this powerful technology.

Author: Luchele Brook, an interview with Gemini