What is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)?

Artificial Intelligence has emerged out to be one of the most popular terms of computer science in recent times. This article discusses one of the classifications of AI, ie. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) also commonly known as Strong AI or Deep AI is basically the hypothetical intelligence of machines. It is the concept by which machines mimic or emulate the human mind’s intelligence or human behavior, with the ability to learn and apply this approach/intelligence to solve any kind of varied problems. AGI can be thought to understand, interpret and act in a way that is indistinguishable from that of a human, in terms of performance because of having comprehensive knowledge and cognitive computing capabilities.

Researchers have not been able to achieve strong AI yet, but estimates show that we will be able to achieve it by 2040. Many doubt whether AGI would ever be possible or not. For example, Stephen Hawking, warned: “Strong AI would take off on it’s own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” 

To achieve and succeed, researchers and scientists will have to find a way to make machines to be able to sense consciousness through programming a full set of cognitive abilities at an extreme level and with utmost accuracy. Machines would be required to gain the ability to learn and apply experimental knowledge to a whole new range of varied problems, to improve the overall efficiency.

Strong AI follows the theory of mind AI framework, through which AGI is expected to be able to reason, solve complex problems, make judgments under uncertain situations, plan, learn cognitive abilities, integrate prior knowledge in decision making or getting accuracy, being innovative, imaginative and creative. Theory of mind level AI is all about training machines to understand human behavior fully along with the aspect of being able to understand consciousness.

The Human brain is the model implementation behind creating general intelligence, So where does the challenge lie for achieving it? It is the lack of comprehensive knowledge, cognitive capabilities in comparison to the functionality of a human brain which has made the researchers put immense efforts in emulating/replicating the basic functionalities of slight and movement with consciousness perspective being covered. Fujitsu-built K is one of the fastest supercomputers and one of the most significant attempts to achieve strong AI, but because of the fact it took 40 minutes or longer than that to simulate a single second of neural activity, it has become difficult to precisely tell whether strong AI will be achieved in our nearing future or not. As image and facial recognition will make advance progresses, we may likely be able to see an improvement in the machine’s ability to learn and see and thus, therefore, increase the overall efficiency.

General AI can be used to solve huge problems, it could also be used to plan out economic crises and take stringent actions against it. AGI can be used to mass influence society for economic gain.