Scientists Discover AI Models May Not Think Like the Brain After All

A reverse prediction test suggests that supposedly brainlike AI models may rely on visual strategies the primate brain does not use. Artificial intelligence can sometimes predict how the brain responds when people recognize objects. But that resemblance may hide an important weakness: the internal workings of today’s vision models do not necessarily match the processes [...]

A reverse prediction test suggests that supposedly brainlike AI models may rely on visual strategies the primate brain does not use. Artificial intelligence can sometimes predict how the brain responds when people recognize objects. But that resemblance may hide an important weakness: the internal workings of today’s vision models do not necessarily match the processes used by a primate brain.

Over the past decade, artificial neural networks (ANNs), computer models designed for visual tasks, have become some of the leading tools for explaining how the brain processes sight. York University researchers wanted to determine whether these systems truly operate like biological vision. “Artificial intelligence systems are often described as ‘brain-like’ because they can predict activity in parts of the brain that help us recognize objects,” says York University Assistant Professor Kohitij Kar, senior