Comment by gnode

I think the cortex is attractive to AI research because its highly uniform micro-anatomy suggests there is a simple algorithm behind general intelligence to be found within. While intelligent behaviours appear to reside in the cortex, the limbic system is heavily involved in learning and cognition generally. Additionally, animals lacking a cortex, like birds, are still capable of many intelligent behaviours typically regarded as cortical. I wonder whether the cortex may be a kind of FPGA wired up by the limbic system, not naturally containing the machinery for general learning, and a red herring to the pursuit of general intelligence.