ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND COGNITIVE BOUNDARIES: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF INTELLIGENCE, UNDERSTANDING, AND CONSCIOUSNESS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND COGNITIVE BOUNDARIES: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF INTELLIGENCE, UNDERSTANDING, AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Summary/Abstract: This paper critically examines the cognitive limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) by juxtaposing its operational capacities and conceptual understanding with human cognition. While AI has demonstrated remarkable advancements in data processing, pattern recognition, and task automation, it remains fundamentally constrained in its ability to achieve higher-order cognitive functions such as abstract reasoning, contextual comprehension, and self-awareness. By drawing upon multidisciplinary perspectives from cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, and computer science, this study systematically explores the key areas in which AI exhibits significant cognitive deficits in comparison to human intelligence. The paper engages with critical discussions advanced by scholars such as Nicholas Carr and Ramon López de Mántaras, scrutinizing AI’s purported intelligence and its limitations in attaining genuine "understanding" beyond syntactic processing. Central to this examination is the question of whether AI can truly possess semantic comprehension or whether it merely simulates intelligence through statistical correlations and probabilistic models. Furthermore, the study addresses philosophical inquiries regarding the nature of consciousness, intentionality, and the potential for machine self-awareness, analyzing whether AI can ever transcend its current status as an advanced tool and evolve toward autonomous cognition. Through a synthesis of contemporary literature and theoretical frameworks, this analysis elucidates the inherent "glass ceiling" of AI evolution—the boundary beyond which artificial systems, constrained by their algorithmic foundations and lack of experiential embodiment, struggle to achieve human-like cognitive flexibility and adaptive learning. The discussion highlights the implications of these limitations for AI ethics, decision-making, and its integration into critical societal domains such as healthcare, education, and governance. The paper advocates for a measured and cautious approach to AI development and deployment, emphasizing the necessity of recognizing and critically addressing its cognitive constraints. By fostering a nuanced understanding of AI’s strengths and weaknesses, the study underscores the importance of maintaining human oversight in AI applications, ensuring that artificial systems complement rather than replace human judgment in complex and ethically significant contexts. In doing so, this research contributes to ongoing debates on the role of AI in shaping the future of intelligence, creativity, and decision-making in an increasingly digital world.

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