Why did intelligence evolve in the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore the nature of intelligence, information theory, consciousness, and whether AI is actually intelligent at all with David Krakauer, evolutionary biologist and president of the Santa Fe Institute. Can you conceive of life without intelligence, or intelligence without life? We parse the difference between intelligence and being alive and whether you can be one without the other. What does it mean for something to be called intelligent? Is a bacterium more intelligent than a human that’s actively destroying their own environment? We explore collective intelligence, the difference between signalling and language, and how humans communicate is wholly different from how animals do. What is the difference between intelligence and consciousness? We discuss unconscious problem solving, expertise, improv comedy, and Srinivasa Ramanujan's mathematical visions. Why do some ideas “just come to us” outside of our inner monologue? How does AI solve problems differently than us? Are AI tools complementary to human intelligence or competitive with it? We discuss the risk of offloading our capabilities to LLMs run by big companies. What do we lose when we outsource our cognitive tools entirely, and how many generations before that loss becomes irreversible? Will tools like LLM ever help humanity solve the biggest mysteries in the universe? Is human cognition too limited to solve the problems we want to solve? We get into information theory and how human intelligence intersects with entropy. How are companies in the AI Revolution doing to information what we did with energy in the Industrial Revolution? We discuss whether superintelligence is possible and how natural selection may only result in a certain types of intelligence. Plus, why did we evolve past bacteria anyway? It’s worked out pretty well for them… Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: David Krakauer 03:38 - The Evolution of Intelligence 06:00 - Collective Intelligence 08:49 - When Communication Becomes Language 14:43 - Did Intelligence Predate Language? 16:19 - Intelligence v. Consciousness 22:52 - The Perplexity of the Subconscious Mind 28:45 - Do AIs Dream of Electric Sheep? 34:50 - What Are Tools For? 44:55 - Surrendering Our Capabilities 48:31 - Can We Understand the Universe? 55:58 - Information & Entropy in the Age of AI 1:05:40 - How We Learn 1:08:00 - Will the Universe Allow a Superintelligence? Thanks to our Patrons Vipin Sharma, Saahith, Matthew Rapp, Billy Durr, Gail Lena Martin, Mads Holm, Mothman’s Coroner, Nicholas Strang, Cirwintech - Christopher M. Irwin, Jacqueline West, Casey Gatti, Clem Carlos Schermann, Samuel Jeffman, John Lasher, Shelley Collett, Aerimis, Anthony Schneider, Lolo, Mark M., kegler718, Hayden Scheibe, J Miller, Mark Ulibarri, Mandy Lauber, John McQuiston, Don, Olivier d'Entremont, Shaun Carter, Andres Chavez, Joshua Perks, JonRueben Bubar, Marlin Mark, Michael Lee, Ash Morris, Nate, Bobby Williams, DeborahD, Ciprian Bobe, David Bailey, Boop Doop, Amirali Rabiee, jessie miller, Liva Apse, Jesse, NATE LUKAS, Chris Archer, Keith H., and Huchel for supporting us this week. Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cCD19e Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! © 2026 Curved Light Productions. All rights reserved. STARTALK is a registered U.S. trademark of Curved Light Productions. Curved Light Productions also maintains rights in the A/legs design logo, STARTALK, STARTALK+, STARTALK PLUS in the U.S. and various countries throughout the world, and these and all other associated logos, marks, and trade dress are the property of Curved Light Productions. This video, including all audio, video, graphics, and accompanying materials, is the exclusive property of Curved Light Productions. No part of this video may be reproduced, distributed, publicly performed, transmitted, or used to create derivative works, in whole or in part, in any medium now known or hereafter devised, without the prior express written permission of Curved Light Productions. Unauthorized use, including reuploading, re-editing, or incorporation into third-party content, is a violation of United States and international copyright law and will be enforced. For licensing and permissions inquiries: licensing@startalkmedia.com #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson