Recorded 23 September 2024. Simon Garnier of the New Jersey Institute of Technology presents "Of Swarms and Slimes: Intelligence Beyond – and Without – the Brain" at IPAM's Analyzing High-dimensional Traces of Intelligent Behavior Workshop. Abstract: Where does biological intelligence come from? This question has been studied almost exclusively in the context of the animal brain whose cognitive abilities are produced by intricate networks of neurons. This neurocentric paradigm is so prevailing that it underpins most definitions of intelligence and has inspired the current AI revolution. However, it is not the only form of biological intelligence existing on Earth and, by sheer biomass, not even the dominant one. What are these creatures that do not think like us? How do they solve problems? And can we learn something from them about the nature of biological intelligence? Through examples of swarming insects and gooey slime mold, this presentation will explore forms of intelligence that exist beyond the individual brain, shaping entire societies including ours, and others that do away entirely with neurons, giving us a glimpse into the evolutionary origins of cognition. Learn more online at: https://www.ipam.ucla.edu/programs/workshops/workshop-i-analyzing-high-dimensional-traces-of-intelligent-behavior/?tab=overview