What is Intelligence?

I was recently reading about the evolution of cognition that lets humans make decisions through the history of time. In my understanding of the eras we, humans, have lived through, the definition of intelligence has changed throughout history.

If we look back at the Renaissance era, an intelligent person was someone capable of reason, judgment, moral reflection, eloquent communication, and meaningful contribution to society. Intelligence was synonymous with the cultivation of human potential.

In the Industrial Age, intelligence became associated with specialization, expertise, and efficiency. Then came the Information Age, where intelligence increasingly became linked to access to knowledge.

Humans have always looked for ways to extend their capabilities beyond the limits of their own minds. Sometimes I think the earliest seed of AI may have been planted with something as simple as the calculator.…