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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17588 |
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| _version_ | 1866910000017833984 |
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| author | Ma, Marcus Narayanan, Shrikanth |
| author_facet | Ma, Marcus Narayanan, Shrikanth |
| contents | Recent advances in LLMs have reignited scientific debate over whether embodiment is necessary for intelligence. We present the argument that intelligence requires grounding, a phenomenon entailed by embodiment, but not embodiment itself. We define intelligence as the possession of four properties -- motivation, predictive ability, understanding of causality, and learning from experience -- and argue that each can be achieved by a non-embodied, grounded agent. We use this to conclude that grounding, not embodiment, is necessary for intelligence. We then present a thought experiment of an intelligent LLM agent in a digital environment and address potential counterarguments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17588 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Intelligence Requires Grounding But Not Embodiment Ma, Marcus Narayanan, Shrikanth Artificial Intelligence Computation and Language Recent advances in LLMs have reignited scientific debate over whether embodiment is necessary for intelligence. We present the argument that intelligence requires grounding, a phenomenon entailed by embodiment, but not embodiment itself. We define intelligence as the possession of four properties -- motivation, predictive ability, understanding of causality, and learning from experience -- and argue that each can be achieved by a non-embodied, grounded agent. We use this to conclude that grounding, not embodiment, is necessary for intelligence. We then present a thought experiment of an intelligent LLM agent in a digital environment and address potential counterarguments. |
| title | Intelligence Requires Grounding But Not Embodiment |
| topic | Artificial Intelligence Computation and Language |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17588 |