Collective intelligence. It may sound like something fuzzy, quasi-psychological
But in fact, when we came across Iain Couzin’s research on flocking insects, animals and fish while making the documentary ‘Ocean Intelligence’, we suddenly knew we had the documentary’s obvious grand finale.
Couzin is a professor at the Max Planck Institute in Konstanz, Germany. He has spent years studying how animals make decisions in groups that far exceed the capacity of individuals.
The most fascinating part? No one leads. No one is in charge. Yet the groups move as a unit, almost as if they share a common consciousness. And Couzin has managed to reveal the simple rules that underlie this interaction.
Through his eyes, you get a glimpse of something bigger – an understanding of how intelligence can emerge from interactions, whether between animals, humans or even entire societies.
The Intelligence of the Sea premieres on 10 March 2025, on Swedish Television/SVT.
After that, it can be viewed on SVT Play.
