Cellular life may be common in the Universe or it may be exceedingly rare. There is no way at present of knowing what, precisely, is required for life to form. If cellular life is established and persists on a planet then in all probability multicellular forms will evolve. Intelligence develops naturally in those organisms that have sensors and actuators; a control system mediates the response to the environment. When does this control system begin to exhibit intelligence? Are porpoises intelligent? How about elephants or chimpanzees. Clearly every vertebrate animal exhibits intelligence but so do many invertebrates albeit to a lesser degree (cephalopods, crustaceans, arachnids). Therefore estimating the probability that intelligent life exists elsewhere depends on the probability that life itself exists elsewhere.
Because life exists here but not on other nearby planets we know that life is at least somewhat rare. Because intelligent life abounds here we know that the probability of intelligent life elsewhere is at least a finite number greater than zero.
I take your answer to the question then to be "yes." Is that correct? You equate "intelligence" with any organism's guidance system.
I, of course, mean higher "intelligence," whatever definition that incorporates the intelligence of humans -- ability to reason, foresee consequences, plan, build, love, emot and control emot, etc......so many aspects that it's difficult to capture. Let's just call it human or higher as if on a scale. Let's also assume that human intelligence is the highest expression of intelligence on this earth based on the human's dominant status.
Do I understand you, then, to be saying that such "higher" or greater than "higher" exists elsewhere in the universe as a probability statement?