Rediscovering and Developing Our Animal Intelligence
As artificial intelligence and AI agents continue to dominate discussions about the future, I feel compelled to highlight something equally important: organic intelligence and animal instinct.
The rapid advancement of technology must not make us forget the extraordinary capacities we humans possess through our senses. Some, like sight and visual processing, have been heavily trained and enhanced in the digital age, while others—such as our sense of smell—have been neglected and dulled. It’s time to reclaim and re-learn this powerful and often underestimated sense.
My favorite sense!
Science is finally recognizing that smells carry critical information. We already know that dogs can detect early signs of serious illnesses or warn of an impending epileptic seizure. Unlike sight, which registers what has already happened, our sense of smell can detect changes years before a medical diagnosis—for example, identifying Parkinson’s disease up to 12 years in advance. And not just by machines—by humans!
Emma Frans, in Svenska Dagbladet, shared a striking example:
*“Once upon a time, smell was one of the most important tools for doctors when diagnosing patients. Modern research now shows that it is possible to detect Parkinson’s, diabetes, and even cancer through scent.
Twelve years before Scottish man Les Milne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 45, his wife Joy sensed something was wrong. She noticed that her husband had developed an unusual smell. After his diagnosis, she met other Parkinson’s patients and realized they all shared the same characteristic scent.”*
Historically, doctors routinely used their sense of smell in diagnosis. Today, we are seeing rapid technological advancements in e-noses—electronic noses equipped with sensors that can recognize scent patterns. These tools have enormous potential in healthcare and could reestablish smell as a crucial part of medical diagnostics.
But alongside this technological progress, we must also train our own human abilities to detect and interpret scents. Physicians should develop their sensory skills as a complement to AI-based tools, rather than relying on them entirely.
We have yet to fully address the ethical implications of our growing dependence on these systems—questions of responsibility and human accountability. Future healthcare must not be built solely on machine precision but rather on a collaboration between humans, animals, and technology, where all senses are included. Only then can we create a more holistic and preventive approach to healthcare, one that embraces the full potential of our biological and sensory intelligence.
