Okay, let us say you want to make a test for intelligence, just as there was a test for the lift generated by a fixed wing.

As you are testing a computational system there are two things you can look at, the input-output relation and the dynamics of the internal system.

Looking purely at the IO relation is not informative, they can be fooled by GLUTs or compressed versions of the same. This is why the loebner prize has not lead to real AI in general. And making a system that can solve a single problem that we consider requires intelligence (such as chess), just gets you a system that can solve chess and does not generalize.

Contrast this with the air tunnels that the wright brothers had, they could test for lift which they knew would keep them up

If you want to get into the dynamics of the internals of the system they are divorced from our folk idea of intelligence which is problem solving (unlike the folk theory of flight, which connects nicely with lift from a wing). So what sort of dynamics should we look for?

If the theory of intelligence is correct the dynamics will have to be found in the human brain. Despite the slowness and difficulties of analysing it it. we are generating more data which we should be able to use to narrow down the dynamics.

How would you go about creating a testable theory of intelligence? Preferably without having to build a many person-year project each time you want to test your theory.