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Searle's view that mental states are inherently biological implies that the perennial mind-body problem—the problem of explaining how it is possible for minds and bodies to interact—is fundamentally misconceived.

In his essay “Minds, Brains, and Programs”, John R. Searle argues that a computer is incapable of thinking, and that it can only be used as a tool to aid human beings or can simulate human thinking, which he refers to as the theory of weak AI (artificial intelligence).

Strong AI claims that thinking is merely the manipulation of formal symbols, and that is exactly what the computer does: manipulate formal symbols. This view is often summarized by saying, “The mind is to the brain as the program is to the hardware.” He then purports to give a counterexample to strong AI.

…a widely reprinted paper, “Minds, Brains, and Programs” (1980), Searle claimed that mental processes cannot possibly consist of the execution of computer programs of any sort, since it is always possible for a person to follow the instructions of the program without undergoing the target mental process.

In "Minds, Brains, and Programs" John R. Searle argues against the idea that computers can be programmed to think. Searle knew about a number of experiments with artificial intelligence that were not only gaining attention but were promoting what he saw as erroneous ideas about what it means to think.

The Chinese room argument leaves open the possibility that a digital machine could be built that acts more intelligently than a person, but does not have a mind or intentionality in the same way that brains do.

In his essay “Minds, Brains, and Programs”, John R. Searle argues that a computer is incapable of thinking, and that it can only be used as a tool to aid human beings or can simulate human thinking, which he refers to as the theory of weak AI (artificial intelligence).