Explained: Artificial General Intelligence

What is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)? Learn the difference between AI and AGI, and explore the potential characteristics and challenges of achieving this elusive goal.

What is artificial general intelligence (AGI)?

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), or ‘strong’ AI, is hypothetical intelligence that doesn’t yet exist. AI research imagines machines capable of learning and thinking like humans and performing any intellectual task that a human can.

While we have impressive AI systems today that can excel at specific tasks, they are still far from achieving AGI. They often lack the flexibility and adaptability that comes with true general intelligence and are called ‘weak’ AI.

What is the difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial general intelligence (AGI)?

The main difference between AI (artificial intelligence) and AGI (artificial general intelligence) lies in their scope and capabilities.

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Artificial Intelligence

• Narrow Focus: Today’s AI systems excel at specific tasks, like playing chess, recognizing faces, or generating text. They are trained on massive datasets for those specific tasks and don’t have the flexibility to apply their knowledge to other areas.
• Limited Learning: AI systems typically require human intervention to learn new things or adapt to new situations. They might be able to improve within their specific domain but can’t learn entirely new skills independently.
• Reactive Behaviour: AI systems typically react to stimuli or instructions based on their training data. They cannot reason, understand context, or make independent decisions.

Artificial General Intelligence

• General Intelligence: If achieved, AGI would possess human-like intelligence capable of tackling any intellectual task. This includes understanding complex concepts, reasoning logically, solving novel problems, and adapting to new situations.
• Self-Learning: AGI wouldn’t require constant human intervention. It could learn and acquire new knowledge independently, continuously improving and expanding its capabilities.
• Proactive Thinking: AGI could understand the world around it, make decisions based on its understanding, and even generate creative solutions to problems.

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What makes an AI system AGI?

We haven’t yet achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI), so there’s no definitive answer to what makes an AI system truly AGI. However, researchers have proposed several key characteristics that such a system might possess:

• General Learning Ability: An AGI could learn new skills and solve problems beyond its initial training data. It would not be confined to specific tasks or domains but could adapt and excel in various situations.
• Reasoning and Decision-Making: AGI would not just react to stimuli but possess the ability to reason, understand the context, and make informed decisions based on its understanding of the world.
• Understanding and Creativity: AGI could comprehend complex concepts, generate original ideas, and approach problems uniquely, demonstrating creativity like humans.
• Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: AGI would not be static but continuously learn and evolve, adapting to new information and situations without explicit reprogramming.
• Social Intelligence and Communication: While not essential for general intelligence, some researchers envision AGI as capable of understanding and interacting with other systems and humans naturally and meaningfully.

However, these are just potential characteristics, and debate is ongoing about the qualities that define AGI. Further, achieving these simultaneously might not be the only path to AGI.