From artificial to organic: Rethinking the roots of intelligence for digital health
This conceptual reframing addresses the philosophical and practical implications of AI development for digital health, but it is incremental as it builds on existing ideas without introducing new methods or data.
The paper argues that AI in digital health is not separate from organic intelligence, as it is inspired by human neurobiology and evolutionary processes, emphasizing organization and adaptation rather than just parameter count.
The term artificial implies an inherent dichotomy from the natural or organic. However, AI, as we know it, is a product of organic ingenuity: designed, implemented, and iteratively improved by human cognition. The very principles that underpin AI systems, from neural networks to decision-making algorithms, are inspired by the organic intelligence embedded in human neurobiology and evolutionary processes. The path from organic to artificial intelligence in digital health is neither mystical nor merely a matter of parameter count, it is fundamentally about organization and adaption. Thus, the boundaries between artificial and organic are far less distinct than the nomenclature suggests.