Berlin in summer 1904: Every day, onlookers flock to a backyard in Prenzlauer Berg to watch a horse think. Clever Hans can count, read and answer questions by tapping with his hoof.
San Francisco in autumn 2022: Every day, millions of people around the world go online to try out the artificial intelligence Chat GPT. Chat GPT can answer questions, write poems and hold stimulating conversations.
The two events seem to have nothing in common, yet they are closely linked. Today there are hundreds of academic papers on the "Clever Hans problem" of AI.
In conversation with science journalist Lilo Berg, author Reto U. Schneider talks about his book "Das Pferd, das zu viel wusste".
The story leads through the circuses and variety theatres of Wilhelmine Berlin, then to London and Washington, where the early AI researchers worked.