A Short Story on Perception and Intelligence
AGI Research & Development
“What is it?” I asked, pointing at the image in front of a child.
It was a low-resolution, black-and-white picture of a frog, nearly impossible to recognize at first — until you see it. And once you do, you can’t unsee it. A test of perception.
He looked at it, then simply said, “Something.”
“Take a closer look,” I encouraged.
“A snail,” he said with certainty.
I wondered if he truly saw a snail or if he always labeled a frog that way. To check, I flipped to the next page, where the same picture appeared — this time in color, with the frog clearly visible.
“Now, what is it?”
Without hesitation, he repeated, “A snail.”
This child is on the autism spectrum. His mind processes the world differently from the way most do. He saw an animal instantly — but labeled it differently.
Wanting to be sure, I asked, “It’s not a snail. What is it?”
“A hedgehog,” he answered.
“It’s not a hedgehog. What is it?” I asked again.
“A snake,” he said, as his eyes began to shine with amusement.
“Is it really a snake?” I asked, trying to hold back a smile.
He looked at me and let out a delighted laugh.
This moment captured something profound — not just about how we perceive and understand the world — but about the remarkable variability of human intelligence.
In the long-term, our AGI research aims to create models capable of capturing and reflecting this complexity and diversity of human intelligence.