Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a type of AI that can understand, learn, and solve tasks that require a human level of intelligence. Just like us, it can adapt to different environments and solve various complex problems.
Unlike artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), which is the type of AI that we have today, AGI is not trained for a specific task, but it’s made to observe, learn, and adapt on its own without being directly commanded by a specific code.
Nearly everything we do today is, in one way or another, linked to narrow AI. The order of content and ads that you see on the Internet is governed by a specialized AI. Your neighbor’s kid is playing a video game against an AI opponent. Perhaps the customer service assistant you just talked to was a synthesized voice of narrow artificial intelligence. These all function seamlessly, but put any one of these narrow AI to do the task of the other, and it will fail.
Artificial general intelligence could learn and perform all these tasks and more. Eventually, when we develop an AGI in earnest, it would display the capabilities of the median human, but retain the potential to become an expert in the field, something we now consider reserved for the narrow AI. It would be possible for AGI to become a scientist, an engineer, or a doctor.
“Would be”, as we have yet to reach the point of general AI. But some experts say that we’re getting there.
ETA for AGI?
The big question is: when will we create artificial general intelligence?
For proper general AI, there are three vital components of consciousness it must have:
- A model of surroundings with the body of the unit at the center
- Perception of time for projections of future outcomes
- An ability to consider and evaluate multiple actions and choose the most optimal one
In other words, it has to be able to explore, learn, interpret, and solve various problems in different environments. For example, just like a three-year-old child can.
While current AI models efficiently tackle various tasks, we have failed to develop a system that would harmonize these tasks into a single AI solution. Our AI fails to overcome problems that three-year-old children routinely solve. Forget the toddler, we still have to reach the intelligence of a parrot or a mouse.
But the necessary research is rapidly advancing, and investments are bigger than ever. John Hennessy estimates that we’re 20 to 40 years away from artificial general intelligence. John Carmack, an ex-Meta executive, gives a 95% chance of AGI being developed by 2050 and 60% chance of this happening by 2030.
In our lifetimes! Should we buckle up?
American Buddhist Net 