Non-human systems created by humans (social entities like corporations or governments) have a certain kind of decentralized intelligence, one that isn't localized in any one person's mind. Insects and perhaps even plants show adaptive learning behaviour that is often called intelligent.
Intelligence without understanding. I used to believe this was a philosophical impossibility, but I'm strongly starting to think otherwise. This is such weedy territory but, perhaps, all living things are intelligent - a bacterium is the application of knowledge (in the form of genes holding biochemical blueprints) to the task of staying alive.
John Walker (of Autodesk) got into the philosophy of information theory in his later years and he put it better than I could:
> We sense that computers are, if not completely alive, not entirely dead either, and it's their digital storage which ultimately creates this perception. Without digital storage, you can't have life. With digital storage, you don't exactly have a rock any more.
Corporations and governments aren't intelligent, they are not even tangible, just concepts. It's the people operating them that are intelligent. Plants and insects are interesting. I don't know if the behavior there is a result of sentience or if it just resembles intelligence, but both ideas are cool to think about.
Organizations are greater than the sum of their parts. To extend the insect metaphor, an ant colony has complex emergent and intelligent behaviour, far more complicated than any individual ant could be responsible for. For example when invaded, a collaborative and decentralized response from the warrior ants arises, not guided by any individual. Swarm/flock behaviour. I would argue those behaviours sometimes qualify as intelligent. And I would suggest that human societies are like this too.
Intelligence without understanding. I used to believe this was a philosophical impossibility, but I'm strongly starting to think otherwise. This is such weedy territory but, perhaps, all living things are intelligent - a bacterium is the application of knowledge (in the form of genes holding biochemical blueprints) to the task of staying alive.
John Walker (of Autodesk) got into the philosophy of information theory in his later years and he put it better than I could:
> We sense that computers are, if not completely alive, not entirely dead either, and it's their digital storage which ultimately creates this perception. Without digital storage, you can't have life. With digital storage, you don't exactly have a rock any more.
- "Computation, Memory, Nature, and Life" https://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/comp_mem_nat_life/