Scientists have observed that certain artificial intelligence (AI) systems exhibit susceptibility to optical illusions, a phenomenon also experienced by humans. This discovery provides new perspectives on the functioning of the human brain.
Human Perception of Illusions
Optical illusions demonstrate that human perception of reality is not always direct. For instance, the Moon appears larger when near the horizon compared to when it is higher in the sky, despite no change in its actual size or distance from Earth. These illusions are not simply visual errors but highlight the brain's efficient methods of processing visual information by extracting only the most critical details from complex environments.
AI Systems and Illusions
Machine vision systems powered by AI are designed to identify intricate patterns and details, often exceeding human capability, as seen in applications like early disease detection in medical scans. However, research indicates that these synthetic minds can also be affected by optical illusions. The fact that AI systems, which excel at detail processing, can be deceived by the same visual tricks as humans, offers insights into both artificial and biological intelligence.