--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The existence of birds demonstrated that…" description: "\"“The existence of birds demonstrated that heavier-than-air flight was physically possible and prompted efforts to build flying machines. Yet the first ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/nick-bostrom-10771_computers_the-existence-of-birds-demonstrated-that_1024778.jpg" --- # The existence of birds demonstrated that heavier-than-air… ![“The existence of birds demonstrated that heavier-than-air flight was physically possible and prompted efforts to build flying machines. Yet the first functioning airplanes did not flap their wings. The jury is out on whether machine intelligence will be like flight, which humans achieved through…” quote by Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/nick-bostrom-10771_computers_the-existence-of-birds-demonstrated-that_1024778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/nick-bostrom-10771_computers_the-existence-of-birds-demonstrated-that_1024778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71b/nick-bostrom-10771_computers_the-existence-of-birds-demonstrated-that_1024778.jpg) > ““The existence of birds demonstrated that heavier-than-air flight was physically possible and prompted efforts to build flying machines. Yet the first functioning airplanes did not flap their wings. The jury is out on whether machine intelligence will be like flight, which humans achieved through an artificial mechanism, or like combustion, which we initially mastered by copying naturally occurring fires. Turing”” [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote compares early flight and fire to AI, suggesting AI may arise from imitation or invention, and its path is uncertain. **In simple terms:** AI may develop like flight or fire, and we don’t know which. Key Takeaway Consider multiple pathways for AI development. Themes technology future uncertainty innovation ethics Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research labs - policy making - education - public discourse Key Concepts Artificial intelligence technological evolution analogy Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions underlie the flight vs fire comparison? - How can we prepare for both scenarios? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex AI dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Airplanes Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplanes-did-2306779/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Existence Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-birds-1662042/) [Flight Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight-humans-2306780/) [Flying machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-machines/) [Functioning Airplanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functioning-airplanes-2306781/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [I was always making things. I made model airplanes and did a number of hands-on activities. 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The very indifference to humanity of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/while-i-am-watching-the-birds-i-believe-i-am-comparatively-immune/) [Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/) > [“A human being can only endure depression up to a certain point; when this point of saturation is reached it becomes necessary for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/a-human-being-can-only-endure-depression-up-to-a-certain-point-when/) [Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/) > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) [William Henry Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-pickering/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? 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Animals and machines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-wilkes/the-artificial-intelligence-approach-may-not-be-altogether-the-right/) [Maurice Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-wilkes/) > [I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/i-often-say-that-when-you-can-measure-what-you-are-speaking-about-and/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/when-you-can-measure-what-you-are-speaking-about-and-express-it-in/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/sweet-dreams-and-flying-machines-in-pieces-on-the-ground/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [My objective is and has been for years to make the lightest and most compact flying machine that would carry me at 25 or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hargrave/my-objective-is-and-has-been-for-years-to-make-the-lightest-and-most/) [Lawrence Hargrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hargrave/) > [ One: There is a low limit of weight \[of about\] 50 pounds beyond which it is impossible for an animal to fly. Two: The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-leconte/one-there-is-a-low-limit-of-weight-of-about-50-pounds-beyond-which-it/) [Joseph LeConte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-leconte/) > [It may be that the invention of the aeroplane flying-machine will be deemed to have been of less material value to the world than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waldemar-kaempffert/it-may-be-that-the-invention-of-the-aeroplane-flying-machine-will-be/) [Waldemar Kaempffert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waldemar-kaempffert/) ## More by Nick Bostrom > [“It now seems clear that a capacity to learn would be an integral feature of the core design of a system intended to attain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/it-now-seems-clear-that-a-capacity-to-learn-would-be-an-integral/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [The challenge presented by the prospect of superintelligence, and how we might best respond is quite possibly the most important and most daunting challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/the-challenge-presented-by-the-prospect-of-superintelligence-and-how/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [For healthy adult people, the really big thing we can foresee are ways of intervening in the ageing process, either by slowing or reversing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/for-healthy-adult-people-the-really-big-thing-we-can-foresee-are-ways/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“We can think of wisdom as the ability to get the important things approximately right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/we-can-think-of-wisdom-as-the-ability-to-get-the-important-things/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“The Google search engine is, arguably, the greatest AI system that has yet been built.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/the-google-search-engine-is-arguably-the-greatest-ai-system-that-has/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [Far from being the smartest possible biological species, we are probably better thought of as the stupidest possible biological species capable of starting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/far-from-being-the-smartest-possible-biological-species-we-are/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“If the distance between base and apex for you is eight kilometers, then to reach my dwellings would take a million light-year ascent. 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Which particular neuronal assemblies are recruited to represent a particular concept depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/rather-each-brain-develops-its-own-idiosyncratic-representations-of/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“Consider an AI that has hedonism as its final goal, and which would therefore like to tile the universe with “hedonium” (matter organized in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/consider-an-ai-that-has-hedonism-as-its-final-goal-and-which-would/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“Utopia is the hope that the scattered fragments of good that we come across from time to time in our lives can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/utopia-is-the-hope-that-the-scattered-fragments-of-good-that-we-come/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [“Thus the first ultraintelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make, provided that the machine is docile enough to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/thus-the-first-ultraintelligent-machine-is-the-last-invention-that/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) [Explore all 63 Nick Bostrom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) ## More Computers quotes > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. 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Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. 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No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/) [CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/) > [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? 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In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) [Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The existence of birds demonstrated that heavier-than-air flight was physically possible and prompted efforts to build flying machines. Yet the first functioning airplanes did not flap their wings. The jury is out on whether machine intelligence will be like flight, which humans achieved through an artificial mechanism, or like combustion, which we initially mastered by copying naturally occurring fires. 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