Ants beat humans in group challenges

The research team led by expert Ofer Feinerman from the Weizmann Institute of Science investigated the ability of ants and humans to overcome a complex maze when working individually and in groups. Interesting Engineering reported on December 26. New research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Specifically, the research team designed a maze based on the “piano transport problem”. But instead of a piano, the participant will transport a large T-shaped object through three rooms connected by narrow slots.

Humans perform this task alone or in groups of up to 26 people, while ants Paratrechina longicornis – Also known as “crazy ants” because of their erratic movements – work in groups of 1 – 80 members. To reflect the ants’ natural limitations, participants were not allowed to communicate through words or gestures but could only handle objects with handles equipped with force gauges.

As a result, when working alone, humans outperform ants by a large margin, completing tasks effectively thanks to strategic planning. But the results are reversed when working in groups.

Ant colonies, especially large colonies, demonstrate impressive coordination and problem-solving abilities. They act as a unified entity, using collective memory to learn from mistakes and maintain steady progress toward goals. In contrast, groups of people have difficulty improving performance. When communication is limited, group results are often worse than those working alone.

Instead of harnessing team power, participants often adopt a “greedy” strategy, focusing on short-term solutions that hinder success. The expert group believes that this difference is due to the social structure of ants. As a collective, ants function as a “super organism”, with common interests and seamless coordination. However, people face different coordination and prioritization challenges, reducing the benefits of teamwork.

New research reveals the complexity of teamwork and decision-making across species. For ants, cooperation helps increase capacity, turning collective efforts into results greater than the sum of individual contributions. On the contrary, people have difficulty exploiting the full potential of teamwork, especially in conditions of limited communication.

The team of scientists hopes the new findings will provide information for future research on group dynamics, both in nature and in human society. By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of collective behavior, they aim to shed light on how cooperation develops and how it can be optimized.