A study by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel led by Ofer Feinerman found that ants outperform humans when working in groups to solve complex tasks, such as moving large objects through a maze.
While humans have better cognitive abilities individually, a test recreating the so-called “piano mover problem” showed that humans worked better individually, but ants did better collectively.
This is a classic challenge in robotics, which involves moving an unusually large and irregularly shaped object through a complicated environment. Two mazes were built, one at human scale and one at ant scale. Both humans and ants had to transport a T-shaped object through a space divided into three chambers connected by narrow openings.
The ants participated in three configurations: individually, in small groups of around seven individuals, and in large groups of up to 80. The humans, meanwhile, faced the challenge alone, in small groups of six to nine people, and in large groups of 26. To ensure a fair comparison, some human groups had to refrain from communicating verbally or through gestures.
The results showed that humans worked better individually, while ants demonstrated strategic cooperation and collective memory that allowed them to avoid repeated mistakes and persistently move in the right direction.
Feinerman explained that “ants have a common interest and cooperate effectively, whereas humans in groups tend to face challenges arising from internal competition and lack of strategic coordination.”