But why do these five capabilities resist automation so stubbornly? Neuroscience provides fascinating answers. Dr. A. Seth's research on consciousness at the University of Sussex reveals that human intelligence isn't just computational—it's fundamentally embodied and embedded²².
Our brains don't simply process information; they create predictive models of the world based on our biological needs, cultural contexts, and lived experiences. Every decision we make carries traces of evolution, development, and learning that can't be reduced to weights and biases in a neural network.
Consider the anterior insular cortex, a brain region that integrates bodily sensations with emotional awareness and social cognition²³. When you "gut check" a decision, you're literally consulting a biological system that merges visceral feedback with complex social modeling. This isn't inefficiency—it's a feature evolved over millions of years to help us navigate precisely the kinds of ambiguous, high-stakes, socially embedded decisions that dominate human life.
Or examine the default mode network, the brain system active when we're not focused on specific tasks²⁴. This network doesn't optimize or analyze—it wanders, associates, and imagines. It's the neurological foundation of creativity, allowing us to simulate scenarios that have never existed, to ask "what if" in ways that transcend the boundaries of current data.