Intelligence Requires Grounding But Not Embodiment

Marcus Ma, Shrikanth Narayanan
1/24/2026
cs.AIcs.CL

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Abstract

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.

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Cite this paper

@article{ma2026intelligence,
  title  = {Intelligence Requires Grounding But Not Embodiment},
  author = {Marcus Ma and Shrikanth Narayanan},
  year   = {2026},
  eprint = {2601.17588},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url    = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17588v1}
}

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